Across the Fandom
by Insane. Certifiably
Summary: An archive of pieces by different authors attempting to successfully write almost every LoZ pairing. Ranging anywhere from fluff, to angst, to humor, to tragedy. New authors still welcome to join
1. Intro

Welcome to Across the Fandom. As you may have gathered from the title, we are writing one-shots for many of the Zelda fandom pairings.

Each chapter will be a one-shot featuring a different pairing. The one-shots are over one thousand words, but under five thousand and feature no M-rated content.

If you would like to contribute a chapter, visit our forum, the certifiably insane LoZ pairings project, Dannondorf moderator. There we have a list of pairings that have been claimed and that need to be written. Every author can claim one and is assigned one via random number generator.

I'll put the disclaimer here, and the author's name at the top of their chapter.

We do not, under any circumstances, own the Legend of Zelda.

Here are all the pairings, a few of them are unusual, but we're going to try.

Anju X Kafei

Aryll X Komali

Ashei X Shad

Aveil X Link

Beth X Collin

Cremia X Link**  
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Din X Link

Farore X Link

Fierce Deity X Link**  
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Great Fairy X Link

Hena X Link

Ilia X Link

Ilia X Ralis**  
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Lulu X Mikau

Maggie X Link

Malon X Dark**  
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Malon X Link

Malon X Sheik (separate person from Zelda)**  
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Marin X Link

Medli X Komali

Medli X Link

Midna X Link

Midna X Zant

Nabooru X Ganondorf

Nabooru X Link**  
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Nayru X Link

Navi X Link**  
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Navi X Tael**  
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Queen of Fairies X Link

Romani X Link

Ruto X Link

Saria X Dark**  
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Saria X Link

Saria X Mido

Sheik(same person as Zelda) X Link**  
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Tatl X Link

Tetra X Link

Zelda X Dark

Zelda X Ganondorf

Zelda X Link

With that finished, on to the stories. Hang on to your seatbelts, it's going to be a wild ride.


	2. Cremia X Link

Link X Cremia chapter by Klyn Farseer

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><p><span>Inception<span>

A blur of steel, an inhuman cry and then nothing. Those were the extent of the memories in Link's mind as the light enveloped him, and they played over and over. Every now and then Link's resting mind would change the order. To say the least of his state, Link was emotionally charged.

Link's mind reared in annoyance as some outside force decided to alter the hype it was in, that state of raw _energy_ that flowed through him during an intense battle. The mind tried ignoring the presence and rejecting its existence, but alas, the moment was gone. The facade that existed after a well-fought battle faded and Link was left returning to the real world.

Groaning not in pain or tiredness but simply as anyone would at being woken from a state of euphoria, Link was slow to open his eyes. Link could feel the slight abrasion as his tunic rubbed against skin and instantly knew someone was shaking him awake. Why did they always have to do that?

Link moved his hand over to whoever's was shaking him and simply pushed the soft flesh away.

With a childish 'humph,' Link popped onto his feet. He smirked as he saw the female staring at him in slight shock.

"What, did you think I'd get injured?" Link asked teasingly to the older of the two ranchers. "That moon was nothing, I fought tougher things when I was a little kid."

Cremia looked at him for a second longer before attempting to punch him in the arm, a move he dodged with practiced ease. "You idiot! What the heck did you think you were doing? One minute you're eating dinner with Romani and I, the next you're riding into the center of town!"

Link couldn't help but laugh, "Cremia," he said, slurring the last two vowels so it made one syllable, "I thought I was going to go and have some _fun_. Do you know how boring it can get, being a swordfighter and having nothing to do?"

Cremia's eyebrows were getting closer to her nose, and over his unknown period of traveling through time he'd learned that was a bad sign. Still, he was a brave man and stood his ground as she erupted at him again.

"So you run under a falling moon? That was just stupid! What could you hope to accomplish?"

Link knew he'd probably only increase her ire, but he couldn't stop himself from chuckling, "Saving the world for one. The moon was being pulled by some mask thing that wanted to kill everyone and that said it was a god. I really hope it was lying, because if I can trip a god, then I might start losing my faith. 'Course I'm not sure if the deities I do believe in exist here."

To Link's surprise Cremia simply sighed instead of yelling more, "You and my Sister both. You're gonna be the death of me. Saying all that stuff about ghost aliens wasn't enough for you was it?"

Link finally held in his laughter, "Cremia, I was being serious. Well, sort of serious anyway. I used... magic I guess, to call those giants, and they stopped the moon from falling until I could beat the thing that was pulling it down in the first place."

Cremia was about to argue more when a voice interrupted her. "What the Hero says is true, redheaded one with the temper, he fought the god that was sealed in the mask of Majora. About the mask..." The Happy Mask Salesman held his hand out to explain his meaning.

"Mask?" Link asked innocently, "What mask? You wanted me to get a mask?"

The eyes of the man flashed dangerously and in a heart beat he was in front of Link, grabbing him by the front of the shirt. "GIVE ME THAT WHICH YOU PROMISED ME!"

Cremia stood in shocked silence and had to sit on the ground as a headache formed from the intense illogic. Link on the other hand just laughed. "I'm just messin' with ya Larry, calm down. The mask's right here."

Cremia was slowly losing her mind. Unless her eyes were mistaking her, something a part of her hoped for, 'Larry' was now bowing profusely. Cremia forced her eyes shut, and prayed that when she opened them things would be back to following the laws of normalcy.

When she opened her eyes 'Larry' was gone, but standing in his place was some kind of... thing...

"Don't think mean thoughts to Samantha," Link chastised her.

Cremia's mouth simply fell open and some kind of weird bubbling noise came out. When two fairies divebombed her from behind, she promptly fainted.

"All too easy," Link said beneath his breath, then said goodbye to his friends and lifted Cremia onto Epona. It had taken him four run throughs of time to get everything right, and it was worth it.

Fear, insanity and a mix of the two played through Cremia's mind as she lay unconcious. It was with complete and utter relief that she woke up when she felt a hand shaking her. Taking in the surroundings of her bedroom at the ranch in an instant she breathed in a deep breath of the familiar environment. And then she saw the boy in green standing above her.

"Agh!" She cried out incoherently, and she heard her sister stifle a laugh from somewhere in the room. "What the... What did you do?" She yelled at Link.

"What do you mean?" He asked, his voice sounding genuinely confused.

"You were... and Larry... and then _Samantha_... You said you stopped the moon!"

The Hero bit his tongue so that he could save the plan. "Romani, I think you're sister's still not feeling well. Do you know if she was feeling sick before we left?"

Romani bobbed her head up and down, "Yeah, the day before you showed up she was complaining about a fever."

Cremia could only blink at this point, and Link put a hand on her arm, "We were going in to deliver the Chateau to the bar when you started telling me you had a headache. We delivered the milk, but on the way back you started swaying around and you fell unconcious. I took the carriage back here and the two of us have been taking care of you since then. Oh, Romani, you should probably get some soup ready."

Romani gave a sort of bow thing and Cremia kept blinking her eyes in confusion, "But... the moon was falling..."

Link snorted, "Some dream. Cremia, I can honestly tell you that the moon did not fall. Do you think we'd be alive if it did?"

"All of it... a dream?"

"Yeah, you've been out for two days. Your sister got worried, but I knew you'd pull through. You're too stubborn to let something as stupid as a fever kill you."

Finally coming to terms with everything, Cremia said, "You have that right. So, did you shoot of a couple of bandits, or was that just my imagination too?"

"Me? Shoot off _bandits_? Well, there was this bird that tried to steal some stuff, but I shot it. No bandits. It is sweet though that you think I'm a hero, even in your dreams." This had been the point that Link was most nervous about, though it was also the point that got Romani working her best to help. Yes, Romani like Link, but she was only eleven, much too young for any, well, romantic feelings. No, she was more than content to have Link around as a brother-in-law/dad, seeing as Cremia filled the role of sister and mother herself.

"What?" Cremia exclaimed, blushing furiously. "I-what?" Link and Romani had both agreed that yes, Cremia like him. Cremia didn't just hug anybody, and the way that she looked at Link... In fact, to his luck on this time through, Cremia had actually dropped some hints to Romani about Link. So, they were really just helping Cremia to confront her own feelings and fall in love.

"I think you're great too Cremia," he said, emboldened by the Triforce of Courage. And the fact that if this didn't work he and Romani had worked out a way to knock her out again, convince her that this had been a dream too, and further reinforce her concious knowledge that she at least subconciously loved Link.

Link reached down and grabbed her hand, rubbing it with his. You're my favorite person. When I'm around you," and Link knew he could really ham it up too, thanks to the power of the statement 'it was a dream,' "I feel... I feel like I'm on fire, but it doesn't hurt. It's just this... inexplicable _warmth_." Of course, it being hammed up didn't make it any less true, just made it so he could present it... well, hammily.

"Link, I... I don't know what to say..."

Link smiled, making sure to make it seem a little sad, "You don't need to say much, just tell me. Do you... feel love for me?"

"I- Link, I think I do... It's just... Link, whenever you talk I can feel myself... happy. It's like I know you'll protect my family and I, no matter what. And it makes me feel... Yes, Link, I love you."

Link leaned down and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips, it wouldn't do to scare her away now after all that work. "Thank you," he said, pulling away from her.

The door burst open, "Cremia, the soup's turning into a mutated cuckoo and an army of Dodongo riders are attacking the ranch with cheese sauce!" Romani ran into the room, wearing a costume that looked remarkably like the ghost/aliens that he'd fought off, complete with beams of light coming from the eyes. Cremia fell back into the bed and passed out.

Link sighed, "Romani?"

Romani pulled off the mask she was wearing, "Yes Grasshopper?"

"Did you hear the signal?"

"Wh- oh! It worked?"

Link nodded his head, forcing a smile onto his face, "Yes Romani, it worked."

"That's great! Romani is so happy that Grasshopper will be- oh. Romani messed up."

Link patted her on the shoulder. "It's alright, everyone makes mistakes. But I got her to admit that she loved me, so it's going to be a lot easier next time, I'm sure it'll work. So, now we just have to wait until we can convince her this was all another dream. You remember the back-up plan?"

"Yup!" Romani exclaimed grinning.

AN: Just a little bit I wanted to point out, but couldn't find a place for it in the story. Link is older in Major than he was in Ocarina, so I'm stretching that age a bit here. I think it's safe to assume that Cremia's seventeen or eighteen, and in Ocarina Link was eleven. Well, in Majora he seems like he could be a few years older, so I'm taking that and saying he's fourteen/fifteen, in that age area.


	3. Fierce Diety X Link

**Feirce Deity X Link chapter, written by Dannondorf**

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><p>Majora's Mask was shaped like a heart, of all things. Link knew he only had seconds to win the fight if he wanted to live through it, but he could not focus on avoiding the tentacles that cut him. The mask, a twisted symbol of love that mocked everyone it had hurt, occupied the whole of his vision, and its sickly yellow eyes laughed at his pitiful effort to stop it. He knew heroes weren't supposed to cry, but he was just a little boy and he was scared. He was so tired and his whole body hurt. All that stopped him from collapsing was the knowledge that the mask would cause more pain and destruction if he failed.<p>

His pulse pounded at his temples, urging him to draw from what little strength he possessed as an adolescent facing a deity. Though he could barely see straight, Link locked his sight on the target and reached for his emotions where his true skill slept. Like the mask had shed the Skull Kid, he shed the shell people saw when they looked at him—the brave face he put on when life was hard, the happy and ordinary child that materialized when he played the Elegy of Emptiness—and all of his fury, desperation, and misery flared to the surface.

Transform into Mikau. Shield up. Move inside the demon's guard and transform back into a swordsman. Atop gory deformed Hylian legs that were stretched and broken to exceed ten feet in length, the throbbing heart-shape twisted every which way, its eyes wide and flaming as it wondered what the insect that stood against it was trying to do. Link hacked at one of the legs, resulting in an inhuman screech and a whipping motion that threw him aside like the worthless mortal he was. Stunned that his inner beast had been thwarted so easily, he weakly forced himself to his knees. Only sheer willpower kept him going now, for his life essence leaked from his torso and collected into a puddle beneath him. He felt cold from blood loss, and the aching in his head dulled as numbness crept over him.

Majora's Mask ran in circles around the arena flailing and screaming in pain, but the fact that it moved quickly enough to make its image blur told Link he hadn't seriously hurt his foe. He'd been a fool to assume gods had the same weak points as living things, if they even had weaknesses at all. The hopelessness he'd fought for so long began to win, and he no longer felt pain. He barely felt the tears rolling down his cheeks as he tried to stand. More than anything, he felt the despair that was Termina and wished he was more than just a weak little boy who was going to die after coming so close to making everything right.

"Anju…Kafei…" he called with his mind. His thoughts were selfish at first, wishes that the two people he liked to think of as his parents would save him, but then he thought about them holding hands. He remembered how Anju had remained faithful that Kafei would return to her, how brave they both were to remain in Clock Town, looking only at each other even as the world crumbled around them. Link didn't know much about love, but he had seen it in them, been awed by it. Surely that was more powerful than a mask. Surely what was in their hearts—and his—was greater than his heart-shaped enemy. "I can't let you die! I won't!"

As if to answer his plea for the courage and power to protect everyone, a hot breath blew on his long sensitive ear, gentle and strange against the cold numbness. "Wear me," a voice whispered, making him shiver. "I will take care of everything for you. I will remove the source of your pain forever." It was the voice of temptation, of the dark spirit inside the _other_ mask. With each word it grew louder until it growled at him, ordering him to obey even though somewhere in his weary, pain-riddled mind Link knew the piece of wood couldn't make him do a thing.

He obeyed anyway, refusing to let his weakness be the death of anyone. Memories of the evil power he had sensed from the Fierce Deity Mask were shoved aside as he put it on just before a tendril could attempt to take his head off. As was always the case when he transformed into a different creature, a scream tore from his throat. Every part of his body was torturously broken and remade, lengthened, strengthened. Even his clothes and his sword morphed to match his new appearance. He was bigger, stronger, and unimaginably fast. Majora backed away from him, and the thorns sticking out of its mask retreated into it as though it were afraid. Its eyes widened.

"Let's see what you can do, kid," the voice said with a sinister excitement that surpassed even Link's desire to see Majora die. "Show me how you would use my power!" He didn't need the encouragement. Staring with hatred at the source of the kingdom's recent catastrophes, he yelled in fury before flying at it, his transformed double helix sword behind him as he extended his arm back. With the combined might of heaven and earth, he brought his arm overhead and swung the enormous blade at the being that suddenly seemed not to want to play anymore. For one moment, power rippled through him: uncompromising, unlimited, and utterly thrilling. He was above the world, able to push, bend, and break it however he chose, but he did not sway from his righteous purpose. As though an invisible parent were guiding his hands through the motions, he stabbed the incubus repeatedly through the heart with incredible force.

Then the exhilarating rush ended. Majora's eyes widened again, this time in disbelief as it transformed back into harmless wood stained with the blood of what it had once been. Link's body shrank as well, and no longer feeling like he was above the world, he fell from the moon back to himself, back to the green tunic and the short legs and the flesh that was so easily damaged. He had experienced the power of gods, fought it and used it, but presently he was just a boy again who knew nothing of true power and temptation. As if to complete the transformation, his wounds were mysteriously healed and his clothes were patched up. The Fierce Deity Mask had not lied when it told him it would take care of everything.

The moon, the sky, and Termina still shook. Perhaps the world was still ending, for the transformation and the fight had been so brief and unlike anything else he'd experienced that he almost didn't believe they were real. The Fierce Deity Mask, the only proof of what he had become, had mysteriously disappeared either because it never existed or because he completely used up its malevolent energy. But when Majora's Mask fell lifelessly at his side and the Skull Kid regained consciousness—when the ground stopped trembling in anticipation of a celestial impact and the moon returned to its rightful place far above the kingdom—he knew the fight was over. Delirious from fatigue and from the knowledge that the three-day cycle was finally over, he grinned, thinking of all the people who were going to be okay and innocently believing he would be okay too.

The festival in Clock Town was rescheduled. Everything returned to normal with an alacrity which belittled the horror that had almost come to pass. Anju and Kafei hugged and kissed Link after their wedding, and he hugged back a bit too eagerly, having never received such affection before. As he saw them and Romani and Cremia again and befriended the Skull Kid, he wondered if this was how it felt to belong somewhere or belong to someone. He never thought he belonged in Hyrule or Kokiri Forest, but Termina actually felt like home. Mingling without being an outcast and without the pressure of an all-important quest…was this what it felt like to be a normal kid, like Zelda had wanted for him when she sent him back to this timeline? Though he still had to find Navi, he promised himself and his new friends that he would return, and he left in high spirits.

He never imagined that the path to Termina would disappear behind him. Now in addition to his search for Navi, he had to find a way back to what he'd decided was his home, but the next seven years didn't give him much time to do so; almost every region he came to needed his help to thwart some monster or potential tragedy, but Link surpassed each challenge and continued both searches whenever he could. His travels often left him isolated for weeks, but he tried to ignore his loneliness and hold on to hope.

Due to his frustration, it didn't occur to him until after a month after stopping Majora that the Fierce Deity Mask might not have vanished. "Be strong. Grow big and strong," the voice from before whispered with a perverse eagerness, and it was so soft that he convinced himself he had imagined it. Nonetheless, he pondered whether it was possible for the mask's spirit to be inside of him somehow.

He decided it didn't matter since he planned to grow big and strong anyway: the Triforce of Courage called him to new kingdoms and new quests, and he needed to become stronger to cleanse the world of evil. As he was used to doing, he shoved his unease to the back of his mind to better focus on being a hero and journeyed ever onward, conquering evils and gradually becoming the capable young man he'd been in the alternate timeline.

"Use my power. You could have anything you want. You'd never have to suffer or fight again." The voice grew stronger as he became aware of the indulgences of adults, but he would not be swayed. By age fourteen he knew for certain that it was the dark god, and he did not listen to the devil's easy logic. Because of his increasing bitterness from lack of communication with others, it was easy to ignore him, if only to spite the one being who was always with him.

Resisting became more difficult when he started coming into his own sexually. "Thank you for saving me!" a pretty young woman said to him, and he didn't know how to react; despite his now adult form, his lifetime of traveling and battling had taught him frighteningly little about how to interact with anyone. At the very least he wanted to hug her and make sure he really had saved her, because he had been terrified that she would die, but he couldn't move. Meanwhile she beamed at him with an expression he couldn't quite place. Was she going to hug him? Kiss him? Give him a simple but warm handshake? Acknowledge that he was a living being who wanted love and affection or the occasional contact with another person just like everyone else?

In the end he could only stare back and hope she could read his thoughts through his eyes, and nothing happened between them. "Use my power, and you can have any woman you want. I can tell she already likes you. It would be easy enough for me to influence her just a bit and make her love you unconditionally. Or you could rid the world of evil forever, if you desire that more. You could even find your family…your precious _Navi_." Still he didn't listen, though his heart longed for what the deity offered. And still, no matter where he went, he never found the fairy or kingdom or affection he sought.

One day Link felt power bubbling up within him, ready for his use if he would only accept it. With it he could destroy villains quickly enough to occasionally get some rest from his never-ending quest to keep the world safe. He could find a family, perhaps even start one. But no matter how much he wanted that, it wasn't worth risking everyone's lives; if he gave the deity control he would not be able to prevent him from becoming a worse threat than Majora. Nonetheless, a searing pain ripped through his head, stopping him in mid-stride as he wandered. He saw white for a moment as his mind felt like it was being ripped in two. Much like when he had transformed, a yell erupted from the normally silent warrior, and when his senses returned someone stood in front of him.

Link automatically stepped back in alarm at the magic he sensed in the imposing figure grinning wickedly at him. With no pupils, his eyes were impossible to read, but the red paint around them made his gaze more threatening. He looked disturbingly similar to Link, but his tunic was a pale blue and his larger muscles suited his superior height. Link's instincts were sharp from years of unwelcome surprises, but he hardly had time to reach for his sword before an invisible force knocked him off his feet. He glanced at his surroundings quickly for the source of the blow as he regained his stance, but no one other than them was around and the stranger hadn't moved. Still grinning and staring fixedly at him, he spoke in a deep voice. "Hello, Link."

The message echoed from more than just the person's throat. It echoed from Link's mind, from every nightmare he'd had in the last seven years, and at once he knew the stranger's identity. Link scrambled a safe distance away before standing again. "Fierce Deity…How did you get out? I never gave in to you."

"Call me Oni." A deep laugh penetrated his ears. "You weren't keeping me trapped. I could have escaped at any time, but I thought I'd see how long it took you to give in to temptation. Your willpower is surprising. You've finally convinced me that you will never give in if I don't show myself, so I have no reason to stay hidden any longer."

Link didn't like how calm his aggressor was. Majora's Mask had been condescending too, but at least it hadn't kept its arms crossed like it didn't have to fight to win. Oni didn't assume any kind of fighting stance, and Link wondered if the enormous strength bursting through his tight tunic belonged to an idiot. "What do you want? I won't let you hurt anyone."

"You can't stop me from doing _anything_." Taking advantage of Oni's lack of visible defenses, Link lunged forward with his sword only to have it suddenly split in half. The top half of the blade clattered uselessly to the ground, and he stared stupefied at the hilt. "I've been watching you, boy. It's all I've done since you found my mask."

"Am I that interesting?" Link mocked mirthlessly, recovering from his shock quickly.

"I knew you would say that, just like I know you're going to—" In a flash Link had a hidden dagger in his hand and lunged forward once more, but again he was blown back. "—do that," the deity finished before chuckling darkly. "Really, Link, can't you bother listening to me before you attack? Ah, I can read the answer in your mind—after so many fights, you can tell when someone means to harm others—but you are my only target today. No one else is in danger."

"I know you well too, and I'm not afraid of you. You're just a power-hungry fool like Ganondorf. That's why the goddesses imprisoned you in that mask."

"I am nothing like Ganondorf. He sought power, but I already have it."

Link ran at him, but the space between them suddenly stretched: his heart beat in confused terror as the trees beside them elongated, and the demon somehow stayed beyond his reach while standing perfectly still. His sneering face mocked Link, who broke into a desperate sprint in response. When he realized that wasn't getting him anywhere, he pulled his bow out and fired an arrow. This time, the space around the target bent so that the arrow went around it. Link did his best not to show his awe and increasing dread.

"Impressive as always, switching tactics fluidly without a moment's hesitation. You aren't like other mortals. You are strong, brave, and you have overcome every enemy and obstacle that has ever appeared before you."

Ignoring the praise, Link began charging mana for his ultimate attack: everything else had failed so far, so he had to use… "Din's Fire!" Flames erupted from him, expanding to consume everything around him, but when they died his target wasn't even singed. With inhuman speed, the deity vanished and reappeared behind him, pinning his arm behind him and shoving him harshly into a tree. "So deliciously _defiant_," he whispered teasingly as Link cried in pain. "I've observed you and found you to be perfect."

Link struggled valiantly, but the god's strength easily overwhelmed him and he couldn't grab what weapons he had left. Every time he got closer to completing another spell, the deity gave his arm a sharp twist to break his concentration. "Perfect for what?" he asked, muffled slightly as his cheek was forced into the bark. He hoped conversation would distract the villain enough for him to slip away.

"Perfect for _me_." As if to show off, he yanked Link by his now-injured arm and threw him to the ground. Knowing distance meant nothing to his attacker, the Hylian resisted the urge to back away and stood back up, scrambling in his mind for a way to put up some kind of defense against this monster. He was much stronger than his fellow god Majora: conventional methods would not work on him. "I admire your stubbornness, but you must learn who is in control here."

To illustrate his point, he abruptly pounced on his victim, pinning his arms and legs to the ground. The Fierce Deity leaned over Link until their faces were almost touching. "What are you doing? What do you w—" He hissed as a sharp pain dug into his arm. Blood trickled down his bicep.

"I want to see how much you can take." The pain intensified and Link bit his lip, knowing what had happened but refusing to believe it. He tried to squeeze his fist to disprove his suspicions only to find he couldn't. "It's gone now. It's no longer yours. It belongs to me, and soon the rest of you will too."

Link panicked and struggled, but he could not shake his attacker. A blade pressed into his other arm, gently at first so it only hurt a little bit. "Don't!" he said more loudly than intended, the pain from the last blow urging him to yell.

The deity didn't listen. The pain became acute, and the only thing louder than his nerves screaming at him was Oni's laughter. It invaded his ears and his mind, taunting him as though this were all some kind of game. Hot tears rolled down Link's cheeks, dripping onto the grass. Without arms he could never fight or function normally again, and he was defenseless against the insane torturer.

"Refusing to scream? Don't want to give me that satisfaction?" Another twisted laugh. Link wanted more than anything to reach up with his detached arm and rip his stupid face off. "You should know that your efforts _not_ to scream are the source of my satisfaction. The fact that you aren't crying out at the injustice of all this tells me I made the right choice. Let's see what happens when I remove the legs."

Link couldn't even struggle anymore. He had lost too much blood to move, so the best he could do was glare. His eyes grew heavy as death tried to close them, but there had to be a way out of this. He couldn't die here.

"Now you are just a bloodied torso with stumps for limbs. There is only one more thing to remove." Licking his pale lips, he poised his hand above the dying man's chest, ready to shove his fingers through it. "Your heart belongs to me."

The hand came down, and with a gasp Link saw only darkness, felt only pain, heard only his screams. His body seized as he panicked, knowing this was the end for him. Then, inexplicably, he felt no pain. Light returned to him, and he opened his eyes to see the same surroundings as before. He had arms and legs again, and the Fierce Deity stared down at him, cradling him in his lap like a small child. "Where…am I?" His lips were numb, and when he tried to move other parts, he found that they were numb too. "How? You…broke me," he murmured clumsily.  
>A nod. He seemed satisfied with his work. "So I could save you."<p>

"Why did you want to save me?"

"So I could break you again. You are _mine_," he hissed, and it was so possessive that Link shivered. The embrace, though one-sided, was almost tender. Link had never been held like this before, and he briefly wondered if this was what it was like to have a parent or to be loved before shaking the thought violently. Nothing about this was caring or affectionate like the bond Anju and Kafei shared, and Link tried to tell himself that he was too angry to think about the hands caressing him.

"Let go of me, Oni," he growled. It was easier to speak this time, and soon he would have enough feeling in his body to defend himself again.

The Fierce Deity gently dragged his palm up Link's cheek until he knocked off his green hat. Then he ran his fingers through the long golden hair that spilled out. Seeing the questions and outrage in the paralyzed man's blue eyes, he explained. "Deities love everything, but you are special. I have seen your indomitable spirit time and again. You even resisted the wicked thoughts I planted in your mind. Breaking you, a being who wins all his fights just like me, will bring me great pleasure."

He bent down and roughly pressed his lips to Link's. Eyes widening, Link found his strength again and kicked as hard as he could, only to have it do nothing. Despite his constant traveling and fighting, Link did not have the deity's muscles. Oni was perfection sculpted in flesh. One of the god's hands squeezed his shoulder tightly, piercing with sharp fingernails to keep him from struggling, and the other traveled across Link's stomach and chest. Tense from the pain and trembling from the touches that were so foreign to him, Link had never felt this helpless and vulnerable before, and it was humiliating. It was absolutely pathetic that part of him liked this and wanted him to continue, pathetic that the hot breath tickling his neck made him feel anything other than rage. He was _not_ enjoying this. He was not "just like" Oni, as Oni had said.

His fair face pulled away, and Link decided the red around his eyes was not paint but blood, and some of it was Link's. "Until next time, hero. Don't think I don't reward good behavior: if you behave when we next meet, perhaps I will let you see Termina again."

This time he had no difficulty expressing his fury. "_You_ sealed off my home?"

"You are mine, and I couldn't have any of your precious friends taking you from me. Besides, I wanted to see how much you could endure. Now that I know your capacity for emotional pain is nearly limitless, I don't feel bad about it. If you cooperate in the future, however, I will let you return. I look forward to sampling you more thoroughly…"

With a burst of light the being Link had gotten to know far too intimately vanished. Grabbing his tender shoulder, he stood and walked away, his first priority being to put as much distance as possible between him and the spot where it all happened. After several miles, be began thinking properly again and wondered what he was going to do. How long did he have before the Fierce Deity returned and took things farther than last time? It was so strange that a god had even taken an interest in him.

But the strangest part was that Link was curious what would happen next time.


	4. Nabooru X Link

**Nabooru X Link chapter written byTheKiro  
><strong>

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><p>Into the Night<p>

She had met him the first time as he was still nothing more than a child. A blonde kid, pretty small, in weird green clothes and too big boots, his cheeks were flushed red thanks to the sun, it was obvious that he had never been exposed to the bright flame before, but the most remarkable thing he had were his deep blue eyes. They were so light, big and innocent. She was fond of him quickly, he was too adorable.

But as she has seen him the second time, he had changed. He was tall; the clothes he wore cling to his body tightly for he had gotten stronger and muscular. The boots were no longer too small for his feet; his blonde hair was longer and dirtier which didn't make him look bad. His skin was browned by the sun. But his eyes, she sighed heavily at their meeting. His eyes had lost this innocent twinkle. They were dark, confused, scared, shattered and still determined.

She felt pained for his destiny was already claimed by the goddesses.

But this night, he would forget it all. He would ignore his deeds and task, he would push away all sorrow and worry. She wanted him to be deaf against all voices which would call him from the castle, the lake, the ranch, the mountains and the towns. She wanted him to be selfish and let his troubled spirit rest for a while.

The fire crackled strongly and her comrades had put their beloved weapons away to dance. He was a guest; a well known visitor even if couldn't handle this thought easily. He would furrow his brow and laugh embarrassedly if a few of her tribe would question him about the big world he had already seen. His in leather clothed feet would try to bury his toes into the sand and his figure was too stiff to even relax in the slightest. His head turned way too many times from right to left; it appeared to be that the blonde tried desperately to hear any call of help he could assist.

She bit her lip and shook her head. This was not what she wanted him to be. She made her way towards him, through the laughing women who were still moving to the beat of their instruments.

"A hero can be deaf, too." He literally jumped and nearly loosed his balance. The rock he sat on didn't seem to be that comfortable anyway.

"Oh…Nabooru. I…" He glanced at her with those deep blue eyes, uncertain for a reason she did not understand.

She sends him a smile and walked around him only to be followed by his curious glance. Her figure stopped right behind the young man as her dark tanned hands grabbed his shoulders firmly. The long red hair she kept in a queue fell over his shoulder like a waterfall as she bends down carefully. Her lips nearly touched his ear, the older woman smiled as he shuddered beneath her touch like a leaf.

"You should relax. Forget everything, every rule, every responsibility." Her whisper offered a temptation which was hard to resist.

She emphasized her words by kneading his shoulders, he groaned as she forced his stiff muscles to relax but finally he would let his guard down, slowly and carefully. The Gerudo wondered how long it had been since he would only sit somewhere like this; how long has it been since he had not helped somebody selflessly; how long has it been since he had lost this childish, wonderful, adorable touch he always had as he was younger.

"You should stop trying." Her voice, her breathe was so close to his ear and left cheek – it made him nervous to not be able to look at her face. "Always helping others, you'll get broken in no time."

"But I've got to…" Her delicate fingers stroked his shoulders, down and up his arms.

"This night is yours and yours alone. Don't let it end in that way."

The fire crackled loudly and the shadows played hide and seek on the sand. The moon high in the sky was so bright; the stars gifted the desert with light. The sky was clear and the air so fresh and dry that it tingled in his guts every time he took a deep breath. To forget everything for even a single night was nearly as difficult for the young man as being a hero for this kingdom. Not only for this land but many others as well.

The hands of the older woman slowly slipped away and in an instant he reacted and grabbed after her wrist to stop her from leaving. Her golden eyes caught his ocean colored once; amusement sparkled in her amber jewels. There it was again, this childish touch she had thought of. This small side of him he never wants to show it seemed.

"You try too hard to be an adult." She freed her wrist from his grip and took his tall hand in her delicate, rough one. He really has grown quite a bit. "You don't need that."

With a low tug she forced the young hero to stand up and follow her towards the crowd. The blond man behaved clumsily and stumbled after her, it was a very unusual sight to see the professional swordsmen wondering how to use his own two feet. Nabooru had to help him with a knowing smile, putting his hands onto her shoulders and taking over the role of the man as she put her hands onto his hips.

"See? You silly hero." Her golden eyes twinkled playfully, Link only gulped and noticed fast in which position he was. "Relax. Let me be the one to take responsibility tonight."

His features relaxed his forehead lost the few wrinkles he always had when he has worried, she could feel his hands slip from her shoulders slowly before they stopped right at her nude skin above her hips. The long soft white clothes which hide her legs gracefully were never touched as if the younger one chose them to be a border of something he would never dare to cross. His lips lost their frown and slowly a lopsided smile finally made its way onto his sun kissed face.

Nabooru chuckled and her fingertips stroked his tense torso upwards until she rested her arm onto his broad shoulders. She could only hope that this princess would let him rest for awhile, the spirit sage could see it easily coming that this young woman would find even if unwanted a new reason for Link to ride across the world to save a life or maybe hundreds.

The fire gleamed and the wind whipped through the flames and embers so that small red glowing flakes rose into the clear night sky. The rhythmic was easy to follow, the beat flared in their veins. It was the only night where the redhead could offer the young hero she adored protection. An escape from all this tasks and quests he had to follow.

Her hand stroked his left cheek; the Gerudo offered him a small graceful smile as they both moved slowly to the rhythmus which even forced the quiet desert to dance. She would love to keep this rough diamond at her side, to protect it from any harm. However she believed that he was doing a way better job than she did. He was a hero after all. And in silence it resembled like an agreement that he was hers alone.

"Into the night and further."


	5. Sheik X Link

**_Sheik X Link chapter, written by LoveandZeLink_**

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This is in Modern AU, but in Hyrule - of course!

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><p>The united roar of Hylian voices fulfilled the air of the silenced. All are ordered to be silent, but a special night of the week, was the one moment where the thoughts of negating war and continuation of devastation was far from mind.<p>

Sheik gave another flamboyant bow to her audience, so they all responded with a raucous cheer. She had finished her own personal song - The Prelude of Light - with the beautiful notes and a catchy song to weave into the ancient melody. She was glad to have that one song as her own expression of freedom, as he - the overlord, Mr. Ganondorf - demanded all her other songs to be just another instruments of his terrible reign. A power hungry beast, that man truly was.

She rolled her eyes of the thought of him while her legs guided her backstage and the small help immediately rushed at her. They were undeniably brutish - all Ganondorf's chosen minions were - as they snatched at the microphone and yanked the wiring from around her slender waist. The minions didn't seem to notice that Sheik was a '_she,' and they never did since they were simply there to follow the commands of their dark ruler. But then - nobody noticed; even the innocent crowd was to think their rock idol was only a charismatic male and never the thought that she was the missing Princess Zelda._

They never knew and - truly - they never will.

A phone then buzzed from the back pocket of Sheik's dusky blue jeans and she begrudgingly pulled the vibrating device into her sweaty grasp. It could be the only...

"Yes?"

"It's me, imbecile. Don't you ever check the caller ID? You know that's incredibly dangerous!"

She rolled her eyes yet again, slumping into a nearby chair. The minions hurriedly scurried off, keenly sensing the hateful voice of their master. How much she wanted to get away as well might have surpassed the fortunate, vile nobodies. "I do know the consequences of being the most beloved icon of Hyrule - sir - thanks for reminding me."

"Shut up. Now, did you or did you not sing the new chants Twinrova and I had written?"

"What else was there for me to perform, Ganny?"

"Did I not tell you to shut up the hell up? Answer the damn question, you fool."

"_Yes, _I did sing your chants, sir_._"

There was a beep. The beep for the disconnected.

Sheik smiled at the clear tone of frustration in his grating voice as she threw the phone onto the table. The slip of weakness was very satisfying, a little crack done into the towering brick wall that Ganondorf was. His wall covered the very center of Hyrule and was successfully driving outwards to contaminate the others of Hyrule.

Yet he was parading out in the fields of the country, set on saving the land he love the most. Or it would all drive into eternal darkness and even more horrific despair. She frowned upon the idea, but the sign of sadness was taken over by the thought of him out there. He was saving and he was her only hope… Hyrule's only hope…

"_Psssttt_…"

She abruptly looked up and around, scare written all over her face. The shock then melted, a small smile instead lining her chapped lips.

Speak of the devil.

"Link, good to see you could make it." The sentence had the always present male drawling, used to hide the easily feminine ring to her voice.

"I would never miss it." A male stepped from behind a crate of milk, holding an easy grin.

He was dressed in the Hero's garb, an ancient grassy tunic with a modern, white sleeved shirt underneath. The tunic seemed out of place with the shirt and the lightest pair of white jeans tucked into the worn boots that arrived with the tunic. A floppy matching hat rested on a hair of tousled dirty blonde and a silver hoop glittered like the blazing determination of his azure eyes. The most noticeable was the majestic Master Sword looped behind a grand Hylian shield.

Sheik consciously looked back down at herself, feeling a bit grungy and well, _male _in a plain gray tee, normal jeans, blue high tops, and the most significant of a cowl neck scarf in pure white with a scarlet symbol of an intricate eye crying a bloody teardrop emblazed on the neutral color; it was mostly there to hide her heightened chest area as the identity as a male was needed to be assured. She tugged the scarf a bit higher, hiding her blush and lowered her head into the fabric, her matching white head bandana sliding off as well.

So, she might have a little crush on the Hero of Time. But it could never work out now, not now while the evil tyrant was sitting upon her throne and most likely not in the future when she was back onto the throne. And during those dictated times, Sheik had found herself growing more and more infatuated with the Hero of Time and sparkling, azure eyes. From the Minuet of Forest concert to today's Prelude of Light, she could feel her fanatic heart sing for each encounter with Link. Then again, it didn't matter anyways, she was only the mysterious, information _guy _named Sheik and Princess Zelda was gone for all he knew. And he knew she - the real Princess Zelda herself - was just Sheik. Male Sheik.

"So the Prelude of Light was tonight's hit called?" He interrupted.

"Yeah." Sheik mumbled, as her contacts gleamed red at the hero's feet risking another step towards her. She looked at him, a smile visible behind the white scarf. "This song is for transporting back to the Temple of Time whenever you want to. Have you learned it while I was on stage?"

Link held up an ocarina, hidden from inside both of his hands. A toothy grin answered for him.

Sheik tried not to smile in the same silly manner and formally nodded instead, realizing how small the backstage was. "Good. Now you've also recorded the notes down in a safe place? In case of some amnesia attack or anything sort of the similar?"

Another grin, but toothier and much more boyish. Like how she's supposed to be.

"Great! We're done here!" She clapped once, ready to quickly head to her room where she'll swoon over his smiles in secret. Her Wisdom triggered brain demanded her body to function out of there before the air of him snatched her of it.

"Wait!"

Sheik froze, feeling a pleasant, callused palm latch onto her wrist. The one with the Triforce of Wisdom slightly above. She thanked the gods she remembered to wrap the usual bandages around the golden triangles, in fear of Ganondorf and his tattling minions. Then maybe 'cause of the hero?

"Wait. Please." She forced herself to turn around slowly, praying that the weak, white cowl covered a deep rosy blush.

Link unusually stared at her, one hand gripping the royal blue ocarina and the other still onto her wrist. He slowly loosened the grasp on her, but then twirled her stunned self closer to him, much closer. Sheik blushed furiously at the proximity of their bodies and she habitually tugged the scarf higher up to cover the whole of her nose. Link noticed her awkwardness, so he smiled warmly. It didn't help much as the rosy pink burned into a violent red.

"I asked you to wait because - because…"

She was wondering if he could ever be stuttering because of…

_...No. _

"Aw, curse it all - Sheik - we haven't known each other long enough but… I - I - "

No way. In all of Hyrule. Not a way…

"I - I have been haunted by you."

_What?_

She mouthed the one word question to him.

"You just remind me a lot like her. Her as in Princess Zelda, you know her right? Well, I love her. I know I do, from the moment when we were just _kids_. But you just seem a lot like her and heck, you kind of look a lot like her so I've just…"

Sheik felt the hand latched onto her wrist and the other, raise to her cheeks where they cup quite affectionately. She blinked up at him, watching the words come together on his lips.

"I've just fallen in love with you."

Well, guess there was a way. In Hyrule too.

His insistent, azure gaze watched her brain function in a way her Triforce had lend her quick thinking. To thinking he was a definitely a clear male. She knows he _thinks _she's a male too… so - so…

_Oh._

Sheik instantly wretched herself away from him, stifling the impulses to shriek from either or the mix of confusion or joy. He said he had fallen in love with her because she was Zelda… yet Zelda was here, but as a guy, boy, male, certainly not feminine Zelda.

_Should the circumstances be a good thing or a bad thing? _She wondered, again pulling at the cowl scarf.

"Sheik," He whispered, stepping towards her again to gently twine his hands in her much smaller ones, "I know this seems a bit… _strange_, but what I meant was true. I don't think my feelings for you will change in the near future. So in the present, _now_, just - just tell me if you feel the same or not."

He quietly declared the last words, the slim of fear was evident in the hush of his voice. Ironic for such of the bearer of Courage. She could not look away and - to her horror - stared at her right hand where his fingers were idly twiddling with the bandages. She has to do _something _before he finds out. Or she could simply leave. Leave him and come back to the hope he never comes back to such conversation. But highly unpredictable.

"Link… Link, _please,_" Sheik gasped, a line of white fabric falling from the back of her hand, "please just _let me go_… I can't - I just - "

Another piece of bandage was unwrapped. Sheik realized Link wasn't really paying attention to his life threatening actions, more fiddling at the thought of rejection.

_Rejection._ Is that the answer?

"Link I don't think of you that way - now or ever - okay, now let me go before I do something I will regret!" She blurted in a near one word jumble if it wasn't for the falling apart bandage. She squeaked in relief as she saw the last line perching on the edge and on the Triforce.

Link snapped back at Sheik, his hand stilled on her Triforce hand.

Shock was splayed all over his handsome face. Sheik was indescribably torn that he was so keen on believing that she would say yes. Actually, she most definitely would had accepted if they weren't in the wrong place at the wrong time. What a foolish cliché she's brings her to tears if she wasn't supposed to be a male.

"Sheik…" Link murmured, closing in on her, "Zelda…"

_What?  
><em>

Yet again, she mouthed the one word question only to be cut off by a pair of male lips. Of course, not her own.

Really, he was kind of everything she dreamed of after all the times she met him. A bit of the Hylian fields, a bit of sweat from toiling fights in the open sun, a bit of sun from spending out there so much, a bit of the musky woods from where he roamed as a child. She could tell she thought of his taste well enough as the thoughtful list goes on and so does his lips against hers. He was also a bit of _intoxication _as the mingling of his far flavors burned together in that one word, so she kissed him back with all the sense of who she needs to be, _gone. _

The moment she pulled away, she found herself entangled with her long arms twined around his neck and both of callused hands on the small of her back. She bit her lower lip on the thought that she and Link were same sex lovers. Would he really…

Link knowingly smiled at her pearly teeth nibbling on the pink of her lips as he held up her right hand.

_Bam. _The triangular tattoo for her Wisdom glowed golden at the both of them. Traces of the bandages that were purposely used to hide the Triforce of Wisdom were muddled onto her feet.

_Oh. _

All of a sudden, the thought of keeping her identity as a male idol named Sheik was as crazy as Princess Zelda kissing the Hero of Time, yet again.


	6. Malon X Dark

Malon X Dark chapter, written by Religion0

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><p><strong>I got Malon X Dark. <strong>**Sounded like fun. =) Don't own LoZ.**

Outside, in the abandoned pastures of Lon Lon Ranch, a spectral, silvery mist danced and twined in on itself. If one listened closely, one could almost hear the laughter of supernatural creatures. The full moon certainly seemed to enjoy the show, even if the night was cold. Inside the stable's walls, though, it was warmer and better lighted, only the horses (and a few cows) were witness to the very_un_-supernatural spectacle happening amidst the balmy scent of fresh hay. Then again, at least one of the actors hadn't expected the scene to be set when she entered it, otherwise she would have made certain that someone human would have been there to witness it.

"This is really rather unfair," Malon panted, flinching away from the black sword pointed at her throat and the hand resting on the wall just beside her face. "You're cheating and you know it." She bit her lip as the sword came closer - subconsciously raising her chin - bringing its bearer with it.

He grinned. If it had at least been a malicious grin, the situation would have been so much easier to handle; but, alas, it wasn't. No, of course he had to grin like a lover amused at his beloved's antics.  
>And he had to be handsome as sin as well! Honestly, the Goddesses were just being cruel. If he hadn't…<p>

If he hadn't looked so much like Link, she would have given in. He knew that, too. Honestly, how did he know of all of these things? And how did she know that he knew?

And by Farore, why was he grinning like that?

"Unfair? Hardly…" He sounded so… smug? "I'm not forcing you."

"Yet I'm not in my bed."

He shrugged, nodding slightly. "Granted, I'm keeping you here against you will, but I'm not forcing you to do anything… Pleasant?"

"You're supposed to say _un_pleasant," Malon pointed out, raising one hand carefully.

"I know that's how it traditionally goes, but I doubt you'd find it unpleasant for long." He bit his lip, hard from the looks of it. She didn't know that he could pale… "I definitely wouldn't."

"Isn't that the whole point of it? That you be pleasured?" She shuffled, trying to press herself farther into the smooth wooden planks, wishing she could go through them.

"Some would say that… But I honestly don't find unwilling partners as entertaining."

"Experienced, are you?" She licked her lips, considering screaming for a moment, then dropped the idea. She doubted he would harm her, but he might not show the same mercy to anyone who came to her rescue.

"Somewhat… Not much, though - just enough. I'm happy to see you've dropped the idea of screaming, by the way. I sincerely doubt there's anyone here who could pose a serious threat."

"Are you a mind reader?" She hadn't meant to say (blurt) it, but the sentence was out her mouth before she had an honest chance to stop it or reel it back in. She winced.

He blinked, then laughed. "Not quite, but definitely not far from! I can feel what move you want to make next, what tactic you employ and decide against… I felt you preparing to scream, but you gave up on it so fast I didn't even have to warn you against it." He stopped suddenly, frowning sullenly. "Or stop you. Damn it! I would have liked that."

"Good for me. Why are you assaulting me anyway? Or rather," she rectified, eyeing the shiny blade warily. "Why are you pointing that overgrown butter knife at me?"

He snickered, again like the amused lover. "Good question with the butter knife, it's just keeping me at a distance from you." He sheathed the sword then, but didn't give his captive opportunity to escape as his, now empty, hand immediately replaced the blade. Which, of course, brought his face so much closer.

"Not quite my point," Malon whispered, staring wide-eyed into her captors almost black eyes. Well, they were black, just not a uniform black. The pupils were the swallowing, total darkness of pupils, but the iris was an almost bluish black, and the whites were actually grey. Amazing what proximity could do to details even in such poor lightning…

"But you're not complaining!" he smugly declared in a sing-song voice.

She wasn't, which unnerved her a bit.

"For whatever it's worth," he whispered huskily. "I'll go away with the dawn."

She groaned. They hadn't been in the barn for that long and she'd come out straight after nightfall.

He giggled, sounding slightly maniacal for the first time. "I'm kidding! I don't plan on sticking around for so long."

"Really?" Oddly monotonous…

"Nope, I…" her captor stopped, gaze suddenly softening. "My other self is a fool, isn't he? Chasing something so far out of reach… When you, who is so many things that we want is right here, willingly waiting for us…"

She almost collapsed. Why did he look like it hurt him so much to say those painful words

"I'm so sorry to say," he whispered, moving his hand from her throat to brush a lock of hair behind her ear. "That he doesn't care about you… Not the way I do, or you do about him."

She nearly collapsed, her right knee buckled, but she just barely managed to save herself from tumbling into her captor.

By leaning on his arm.

He stood still, for a moment contemplating her very blue eyes, then cautiously pulled her into a sympathetic hug. "I really wish he would stop trying to woo the moon…" he whispered into her hair, pretending not to notice her shoulders stiffen at his words. The moon was the ideal… "She's so distant. Kind and beautiful, sure, but cold and so far away we couldn't possibly hope to reach her… And I don't want to, really. She's so unreal."

Malon sobbed, relaxing into him even as she tensed. "Why does he love her?" she whimpered, as the her body had finally stopped quavering.

"Because he saw her when she was human and little more. Though she stopped showing that face a long time ago and only showed it briefly then, he can't dislodge the feelings they stirred. He wants to make the moon human…"

"Why don't you?"

"Because she is dispassionate, because she is a painful reminder, because I didn't - don't - see her the way he does… And because I've seen you from a slightly different angle than he ever has." At that moment, just as she raised her head to judge the sincerity of his words, he bend his head down to steal a kiss. A chaste one, a short one… But one he would hold at his heart forever. "I wouldn't dream of lying to you, but you really should go to sleep."

Before she could protest, he had pulled one of the many stunts in his arsenal and had knocked her unconscious.

When she woke up the next morning under a horse blanket in a bed of straw, she never once stopped to consider it a dream, because of course it wasn't. If it had been, she would have slept either in

her own bed, or on the cot standing at the ready for foal watch.

**Dude, I managed to sneak Zelink in! I didn't know I was planning on doing that… But I didn't know that I could write Dark flirting, either, so I guess this is just one big surprise.** **Awesome! I really wish I had the right smiling…**

**Anyway, please review and tell me what you liked/disliked. I'll try to return the favour. Honest.**


	7. Malon X Sheik

**Malon X Sheik chapter, written by Insane, Certifiably.**

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><p>She can remember the first time she saw him. She'd been threatened by bandits and he'd leapt out of a tree, landing lightly in front of the lead bandit. He'd sprung from enemy to enemy, defeating them too fast for them to react.<p>

When the last bandit had fallen, he'd turned towards her. She'd just caught a glimpse of his fire-red eyes before he leapt away, vanishing as quickly as he'd come.

She'd have thought it was a dream if not for the bodies spread across the field around her.

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><p>He can recall exactly the first time he heard her voice. He'd been injured, so he was hiding in a tree, trying to bandage his wound.<p>

"Do you want help with that?" she'd asked. He'd nearly fallen out of the tree when she spoke to him, both because she'd actually managed to see him and because she had a beautiful voice, clear and bell-like, built for singing.

"I can do it," he'd growled.

"That isn't what I asked," she'd replied. She'd ordered him out of the tree and fixed him up.

All his Sheikah training went out the window when she looked into his eyes and spoke in that perfect voice and that scared him. So he'd left the instant she was finished, not bothering to thank her.

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><p>The first time he held her is firmly planted in her memory. She'd had a horrible day, Ingo working her too hard and he'd tapped on her window after she'd gone to bed.<p>

He'd helped her out onto the roof and listened while she poured out all her worries and troubles. When she'd reached the end of her rant, he'd surprised her by wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.

He'd always shied away from physical contact before, so she'd snuggled into him, determined to make the most of this little break in his strict code.

In his arms, all her troubles seemed to float away and she'd drifted to sleep.

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><p>The instant he realized he was falling for her was the same night he first held her. She'd had a horrible day, so he'd taken her out on the roof and listened to her pour out her heart.<p>

He hadn't meant to embrace her, but his arms sort of snaked out on their own. She'd fit against him so perfectly and he'd held her while she cried, until the tears dried and she fell asleep in his arms.

He'd been taught never to let anyone close, either physically or emotionally, yet here he was, breaking all the rules for a farm girl he barely knew.

Surprisingly, the realization hadn't scared him, rather it felt like something he'd always know, but never fully thought about. He'd pulled her closer and drifted off to sleep himself.

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><p>Neither of them will ever forget the first time they kissed. He'd had to leave for while, and she'd been worrying about him.<p>

When he returned, she'd tackled him with a hug that nearly laid him out on the ground. He'd managed to catch her, though he staggered under the force. Then she'd raised herself on tiptoes and kissed him.

He'd stiffened, automatically going on defensive at the foreign sensation. She'd pulled away, babbling apologies, and ran inside. He'd followed her once his whirling thoughts were in order.

The second time they kissed went much better.

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><p>The first time she said those three life-changing words takes a prominent place in her memory. He'd staggered into the ranch, badly wounded.<p>

She'd half-carried, half-dragged him into the ranch and stitched up his wounds. Sometime during the process, he'd passed out, so she'd made a bed of blankets on the ground floor.

As soon as she moved away, he became restless, so she'd scooted back and sat next to him, holding one of his hands in hers. She'd started to play with his fingers and talked to him.

She'd said many things then that she would not dare say in the daylight when he was conscious. She'd admitted in whisper that she still loved fairy tales, confessed that she worried about him and wished he wouldn't leave all the time, but her most prominent confession came just before the sun rose.

She'd finished one of her stories and paused before starting another, looking at him. He'd looked so peaceful while asleep.

"I'm not brave enough to say this while you're awake," she'd whispered, "so I'll say it now, and hope someday I'm brave enough to say it properly."

She'd leaned in close and her voice sunk until it was barely a whisper. "I love you," she'd said.

There had been no reaction from him and she'd pulled away, embarrassed, and started in on another story, speaking quickly.

* * *

><p>He'd been drifting in and out of consciousness the entire night. Every time he awoke, she was there, beautiful voice rising and falling as she spoke. He'd caught only half of the tales she told him, but it was enough that she was there.<p>

He'd woken in time to hear her say that she wasn't brave enough and her confession. Sleep had tugged him back under, but he'd been smiling inside for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>The time he had to leave her is painted in her memory with the bitter colors of sadness and despair.<p>

He'd been called away by someone; the only thing he'd told her was that "higher-ups were calling". He'd kissed her fiercely before he left, promising to be back as soon as he could.

She'd waited for days that dragged into weeks that turned into months. She'd gone about her work with a step that dragged. No longer had her voice filled the air with Epona's Song and every time someone came in, her head had snapped up to the entrance, only to sag back when a familiar red-eyed, blonde-haired Sheikah was not their visitor.

Fairy Boy had visited during that time, for the first time in seven years. He'd whipped Ingo's butt at horse races and left, leaving her in charge of the ranch.

She'd run the ranch, but never given up hope of seeing her love again. When she'd received an invitation to the princess's coronation, she'd gone, but only under severe duress from her father.

* * *

><p>He'd been told, in no uncertain terms, by the 'higher-ups' that he was to stay away from her. They'd said she was compromising his objectivity. He'd accepted his fate with the obedience that had been drilled into him, but that didn't mean he liked it.<p>

He'd tried to sneak away to see her, but someone always caught him. He'd gone about his training with a step that dragged. He'd missed her voice filling the air with Epona's Song, though he'd mocked her once for always singing the same thing. In retaliation, she'd sung extra loud whenever he had been around to hear it.

He'd gotten slower during his time away from their city, but he was still one of the fastest, most agile Sheikah. He'd taken out his frustration by wiping the floor with his sparring partners and playing her song on his harp.

He'd been selected to be a guard at the princess's coronation. It was a great honor, but he didn't feel honored, just empty.

* * *

><p>Sheik sighed, staring out the crowd. The princess had been crowned queen barely an hour ago, and the celebration showed no signs of slowing down.<p>

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad," said a high pitched, giggly female voice, "sing for us!"

Her companion must have answered too softly for him to hear, but she laughed. "That's no excuse, sing!"

Someone took up the cry and it quickly echoed across the courtyard, a chant of "sing, sing!" Sheik sighed, resisting the urge to cover his ears. He'd seen things like this before, the singer usually was half-drunk and her singing was more like screeching.

To his surprise, a clear, beautiful voice floated up from the crowd. He wasn't paying attention and it took him a moment to realize he was humming along, but when he did, his jaw dropped.

He quickly closed it and pulled out his harp, running fingers along the strings in time to her song. The crowd fell silent in ripples, spreading from the musicians until it was only them. Sheik, never missing a beat, began to wind through the crowd, looking for her. Malon was standing in the center of a small space, eyes closed, pouring her heart into her music. She likely hadn't even noticed him.

The ranch girl reached the end of her song and as she drew breath to begin again, Sheik's hand flashed out and griped her wrist. Her eyes flew open, but when she saw him, her eyes widened and she flew into his arms.

"Why did you leave me?" she asked in a thick voice.

"I didn't want to," he replied, heart breaking at the sadness in her voice, "duty called."

Malon pushed against him so she could see his red eyes. "Does that mean you're going to have to leave again?" she asked.

One hand cupped her cheek. "No," he said, a small smile beginning to grow on his face, "never again." Then without explanation, he stepped back, keeping a hold on her wrist and began to wind through the crowd.

Once they were back in the alley where he'd previously been stationed, he turned to face her again. "Malon-I," he began, but she cut him off.

"Do you love me?" she asked. the sheikah nodded, wondering where this was going.

"Then marry me?" Malon asked.

Sheik's jaw dropped. "I'm supposed to ask that!" he exclaimed. Seeing her fallen expression, he closed the distance between them and gathered her into his arms. "of course I'll marry you, Red" he said.

"Right now?" Malon asked.

He was silent for so long that she repeated her question. He pulled back enough that she could see the grin spreading across his face, "Yes," he replied, "and I have a friend who can help us with that."

It took them a while to find her, meaning Sheik had to break them into the castle, ducking guards and swimming through the moat, but eventually, they came across a ballroom. He whispered to he to stay there and went around the room, keeping to the edges until he came up behind a woman in pink.

He was too far away for Malon to hear what was being said, but the pink woman quickly followed him back.

"This is Malon," he said, "the girl I was telling you about. Malon, this is my cousin, Zelda. She's going to marry us."

Zelda scowled at him. "You didn't give me much of a choice," she said, "mostly just 'Zelda I need a favor'."

"Why the princess?" Malon asked him in an undertone.

"Because the Sheikah can't undo royal decree," he explained, "Having Zelda perform the ceremony makes it a royal decree."

"Do you want me to do this?" Zelda asked impatiently, "because if I'm gone any longer, the lord of whatever might notice he's speaking to empty air."

Sheik took her hands. "We're ready," he said, eyes never leaving hers.

* * *

><p>Impa picked up a parcel lying on the ground. It had been chucked practically into the Sheikah base's front door. She juggled the thing in one hand, based on the weight and texture, she's say it was fabric wrapped around a rock. Curious, she opened it.<p>

Inside were two pieces of paper and, as she'd guessed, a rock.

The first piece of paper was a marriage certificate. Impa had to blink several times before she was quite sure that what she was seeing was not a trick of her eyes. It decreed that Sheik was now married to Malon of Lon Lon Ranch.

Before she could open the other piece of paper, a dot of red on the fabric caught her eye. Impa snatched it up form where she'd dropped it on the ground and unfolded the thing. It was Sheik's eyes emblem, the one he'd worn on the front of his outfit.

Fingers shaking in her haste, Impa unfolded the other piece of paper, hoping there would be a satisfactory explanation for this.

Sheik's note said, well it said something in Ancient Sheikah that wasn't very polite, and came out as a resignation letter. Impa read it once, then again, then a third time before sighing and heading in to inform the council that Sheik had lost his mind.


	8. Great Fairy X Link

**Great Fairy X Link chapter, written by the-world-needs-peace**

* * *

><p>AN: I think that Ordona, Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru are lesser gods, as opposed to "ghosts" in the spirit sense, which leads me to believe that there are more than just the golden goddesses in the higher realm. This is why I use the more encompassing term "gods" instead of "goddesses."

* * *

><p><strong>The Truth Behind Her Tears<strong>

You shall become the Overseer of the Cave of Ordeals.  
>The tribe of the west will be the first to succeed.<br>You shall bring protection to one who wreaks destruction,  
>Only to be lost through the passage of time.<br>When you are forgotten, your cave shall be sealed.  
>The one who shall release you will bring back the Light.<br>Bequeath the Hero your blessings, when he has proven his strength

When she had first revealed herself to him, he had been enraptured by her beauty. And a little embarrassed that he had used the waters to try to clean his face.

"I'm sorry," the Hero jumped from his kneel on the edge and backed away, "I didn't realize-"

"Be at ease," the beautiful woman soothed, "the waters are meant for your refreshment. You need not worry."

Despite her words, he did not instantly relax in her presence. "Who are you?"

"I am the Great Fairy."

Then she was not a child like he first thought. She was a creature of viridian hair, and radiant prismatic wings that cast her in a breathtaking light; a queen of the fairies, who watched over the Cave of Ordeals. It had never occurred to him that the fairies might also have a queen. He felt even more foolish, thinking how he had walked in upon royalty without realizing. Again. At least he had not growled at her this time. However, he could not pursue her, for he did not have "the ancient power that allows one to walk along a cliff without a single foothold." Besides that, he knew he had the responsibility of pursuing the one who had cast the land in Twilight. He had only discovered this cave by accident after properly returning the bridge. So she returned him to the surface in the presence of the fairies newly released into Ordon Springs in order to heal him, and he warped back to the east corner, where he crossed the desert sands to face the undead.

Unexpectedly, the battle revealed that there was more to his quest than first surmised, and that he had actually been in the presence of royalty all along. (And had to dismiss his distressing thoughts about the odd pattern he had of making a bad first impression to royalty before learning their true identity.) He felt a little immune to formality then, and deemed it appropriate to try the cave again, before he went to find out more about what he needed. When he finally saw the springs a second time, he thought for sure he had completed whatever test these caves had to have been.

The Hero took a moment for a drink and a brief splash against his face, just like the last two times. The Great Fairy sat in wait for him, with her wings spread expectantly. This time she stood as he came near, and saw that they both were of equal height. Hardly surprising, considering his short stature. What shocked him was that it brought her shoulders better in line with his eyes, and he finally realized that she only wore a cloth around her hips, and that her hair was the only thing keeping her on the edge of decent.

"I am impressed that you made it this far, Hero. In praise of your efforts thus far, I will release fairies to Faron Springs."

"Thank you," he said stiffly, trying to keep his eyes on her face, but glanced away to keep away temptation to ogle her, "It would be appreciated."

She was quiet as she looked upon him, which increased his guilty apprehension.

"Is the cloth not enough?" She finally asked. "I had thought that covering hips would be enough for a male Hylian. I apologize for my misguided assumption. I do not wish to offend you."

"No," he said quickly, and had to look back at her. "I'm not offended, really, I've seen worse."

"Have you?"

She put a questioning hand to her clavicle, and looked down curiously at her body. He realized his mistake with horrified embarrassment.

"No, that's not what I meant. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said "worse"- you're beautiful, really. What I meant was, I had seen more before. Not by choice, that is, I just..." His cheeks flushed as he cursed his clumsy tongue. "I mean I've seen people with less modesty. Many races other than Hylians and humans are not as conscientious as you are. I'm actually flattered you were considerate."

"But, you avoid looking upon me."

"Because I don't want to stare. It's... distracting." Even now, he had to banish the desire to move her hair away from her front.

"I would prefer staring, to avoiding," she admitted quietly, still not looking up to him. "I feel as though you are repulsed by my body."

"I'm not," he assured, almost regretting his previous actions. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel that way."

He tried silently to meet her eyes to properly portray his sincerity. They seemed... sad, somehow. And for the life of him, he could not place a single color in them, no matter how he tried.

"From this point on, you will have need of the power that allows one to break through massive, frozen blocks of ice."

He stared at her, confused as to how that was a proper response. Then the Hero remembered where he currently was.

"I'm afraid I have nothing like that," he finally said.

"Then I shall return you to the surface," she said easily enough.

He began to glow white, and in a flash of light he gone. The Great Fairy finally cast her eyes up again, though only to look upon her hands.

"Of course you find me beautiful," she murmured to the cave. "All of the fae are beautiful in mortal eyes."

* * *

><p>"From this point on, you will have need of the power that allows one to become master of lifeless statues."<p>

And he thought the last one had been weird. Why on earth would he want to become a master of statues if they were lifeless? His expression clearly said that he thought the notion insane, and the sight of it lit her eyes with amusement. Rather comically endearing.

"I suppose you wish to return to the surface?"  
>"Isn't there a way around this?" He finally asked in exasperation. "Does this thing actually go down <em>fifty<em> floors?"

His statement caught her off guard. The complaint was well founded, yet still made the Hero appear... immature. The thought made her lips twitch into a tiny smile. "It goes down as far as it has to. Return with the rod, and you shall see for yourself."

This time he was the one caught off guard. The jibe was something he deserved, though that did not lessen the unexpected nature of her tease. She had transported him to the surface without prompting, but not before she saw his lips twitch into a tiny smile.

As soon as the Hero's quest through the ancient temple had finished, and he was now the master of lifeless statues, he did not immediately head for the cave, as usual. The rod did not function, and he was caught up in the events that led to its restoration. Because it had become habit to go immediately to the cave following his acquiring of a weapon, he completely forgot to pursue it. The prospect did not return until he rained down from the heavens, and had unknowingly acquired the final weapon he needed. Then he dreamed for the fourth time of the breath taking beauty granting him the "Great Fairy's Tears" he had received from the cursed man of gold, and rushed the cave as soon as he was rested.  
>When the Great Fairy asked him again if he was the master of lifeless statues, he answered somberly that he was.<p>

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner."

The statement was out before he realized it, but her eyes, which had shown just a twinkle of amusement and mischief the last time he had been there, had seemed heavy with sadness again. When he had noticed, he regretted his carelessness. How long had she been waiting in that cave expecting him to come again? At his words, she tilted her head a moment, before she gave another small smile.

"You're here now. That's all that matters."

He gave a hesitant smile in response, even as she vanished into her cloud of light. He turned on his heel and headed for the doorway as it shook into the ground.

The Hero proceeded through the levels with zeal, gladly slashing away his enemies with the eager anticipation of the end in sight. Perhaps he was too eager. In his haste, he made several careless mistakes, leaving him more fatigued and wounded than he might normally have been. He was not concerned, he had an emergency measure, and would just be sure to be more focused in the future. He only had once more to see her, after all, before he reached the final destination. He wondered what would happen once he met her at the end. Perhaps her smile would return for good.

He could not stop the smile from his own face when he counted the thirty-nineth floor, and slayed the last beasts before jumping into the shallow pond. This time he cleansed the blade as well, because Chu Jelly was a pain to get off otherwise. He seemed to take his time with his habitual washing, in no particular rush, and she did not seem to disapprove of his dallying. She sported a small curve of her lips that made her eyes shine. He finally stood to be even with her again. Oddly enough, he still could not pick out a color for her irises.

"I'm impressed that you've made it this far, Hero."

His smile stretched a bit in amusement. "And in praise of my efforts, you shall release the fairies to Lanayru Springs?"

"I shall," her own smile widened as well. "I shall also need to return you to the surface, in order for you to retrieve the power to move freely from wall to wall."

"Not this time." He smile turned into an all out grin as he pulled out the two clawshots from his belt. "This time, I've come prepared."

Her amusement popped into evident surprise as she looked to the clawshots in his hands. Rather comically endearing on her face. He tucked them back in his belt as he turned on his heel to head for the door, and did not notice her eyes following him.

"Please!"

He flinched in surprise and looked back over his shoulder in confusion. She had one hand held out to him, though she did not move from her stance. Gone was the smile or surprise, and instead her bright eyes implored him as her full lips were parted from her earlier outburst.

"...Reconsider," she murmured bashfully, and lowered her arm. "You are strong, but also injured. The challenges ahead are yet stronger. The treasure that awaits you is not worth your life."

There was a tense, heavy silence. The Hero's own mouth parted as he gaped. She must have known he still had an unused fairy with him. Of all the people he expected to ask him to cease the endeavour, it had not been she. Her worry reminded him eerily of a childhood friend of his, of a time that felt like ages ago when she pleaded him not to do anything "out of his league". To think he had come so far since then, yet here was someone telling him the same, even with his preparation. Why did she still think him not capable? A part of him wanted to trek onward to prove her wrong.

Yet he turned back around, and stepped into the springs yet again. His questions and her uncertainty clashed as they stared each other down. He kept his distance, though wanted to come closer, as if to see her reasoning better. However, despite his earlier washing, he felt too rough and dirty in comparison to her, and did not wish to come too close. They looked to each other breathlessly even when he halted. His eyes silently asked her to give him an answer. Her eyes silently told him she could not.

"All right," he finally said.

She could only nod in response. The questioning gaze did not move away, even as he turned white, and she kept his stare until he was gone. The Great Fairy stared for a moment at the spot he had vanished from for a few moments, before her eyes cast despondently to the spring waters.

"Now I see why."

* * *

><p>The Hero was stalling. The Great Fairy knew it. And he knew she knew, but neither one said a thing as he removed his shield and washed that too.<p>

Even as he had reached the final floor, he was not excited, or expectant. Though she had smiled, and encouraged him for his benefit, he could read the sorrow in her eyes. Something had happened, or was going to happen. There was a despondent premonition between the both of them. This would be the end of something neither could really name, nor explain if they tried. They did not attempt to reason it, just let things run their course. He finished with a few last minute scrubs on his ancient garb. When he was sure he had gotten the last stain to run out of his tunic, the Hero replaced his hat onto his newly washed hair, and reequipped his shield and sword. He forced himself to stand and contemplated the cloud of light waiting for him. After a short time of mental debate, he looked down purposely at his shadow. His shadow spun and elongated before the imp emerged from the projection. This time she emerged in her form of flesh and blood and with silence, not the shadow half-form and curious question of the usual. He ignored the tensing of her jaw and the hard leer of her visible eye as she hovered next to him. The imp did not say anything first, crossing her short arms, then her legs as she reclined in midair and peered expectantly.

"I'll meet you outside," he finally said to her, "alright?"

The right eye narrowed, as her lip pulled up in a half snarl, showing her lone fang. She turned her attention to the cloud of light, tightening the grip on her own arms as she stared down the radiant beauty not yet visible.

"Please. I just need a minute."

Blood red in yellow slid over to the blue eyes that quietly asked her to comply, with her leer losing its edge as her head told her guilty and provoked heart to put aside her jealousy. It was only natural, that he became infatuated with another being that dwelt in the light. Let alone someone so beautiful. As a creature of Shadows, she had no right to deny him that.

Though she wondered: if she did not have this cursed form, would he look upon her like he did the fairy queen?

The imp turned around to hide the somber and pained acceptance, shrugging her shoulders.

"You don't have to tell me twice. I can see when I'm a third wheel. I'll go out on a limb here, and assume to meet you at Lanayru." She giggled and bounced before spinning into her teleport. "See you later."

"Thank you," he said aloud, before looking back to the pool of water.

The Hero took another moment to brace himself, and stepped over the ring. This time, the Great Fairy was the one to come near to him, and she stopped merely two paces from him. The action showed that she was just a tad taller than he. Neither were phased by it.

"She did not seem happy. Was it right of you to ask her to leave?"  
>He smiled a bit to himself fondly at his temperamental friend. "She's just angry I haven't gotten here sooner and have kept coming back. She seems harsh, but is kind. Don't let it bother you."<p>

She did not refute his logic, wondering why he did not yet seem to be aware of the princess's emotions. It would not matter, in the end.

"You have cleared many ordeals. You have grown tremendously as a fighter, since the moment you entered this cave. Your tenacity is impressive. In praise of your courage, I will give you this blessing. I ask only for a container."

He brought out an emptied bottle, and handed it to her. The moment her hands touched the glass, it tilted and rose from his hands to hover above the space between them. She closed her eyes and folded her hands in prayer. He did not break the sudden silence out of reverence, but the anticipation turned into alarm when the first glittering dew rolled down her cheek and disappeared from her chin. One by one, a tear flowed down into nothingness, but by the slight shine coming to the bottom of the bottle above them, it was obvious where the tears were collecting.

"Are you all right?" He finally had to ask.

"I am not hurt," she said, though did not open her eyes, "why should you ask such a thing?"

"But," he felt almost foolish for saying so, yet the answer that seemed obvious to him was not to her, "You're crying."

This time, she smiled. "You are kind," she said softly, "but it is not from sorrow that I cry. I cry because I am happy. I am happy that the life of this world, which has had to suffer a dark plight, will soon be rescued by the Light once more." She opened her eyes to cast them to the bottle, and her hesitant smile brightened as her tears spilled faster. "And that the Hero of the Light will be able to use my humble gift to aide him on his journey, by protecting his own life. Do you understand?"

The Hero could not respond. He nodded once, somberly following her eyes and looking to the rotating bottle in a new light. Perhaps the "Tears of Light" among the higher spirits had rendered him too accepting, and had never thought to question it. He almost felt selfish for not realizing the implications sooner. His eyes did not move from the bottle, even when he addressed her.

"But, I don't understand. Why are you so sad?"

"I just informed you I was not."

"Not now, at least. Yet every time I see you, you look unhappy."

"Do I seem so?" Even as she said it, her smile lost a twinge of its joy. "I do not mean to be. I apologize if I've troubled you."

"No," he said suddenly and dropped his gaze to her face. "Tell me what's wrong." He held a hand out, though still did not wish to taint her. "Why are you upset?"

It was perhaps the first time he had reached out to someone. Why was it that a being he had literally gone out of his way to see, was the only one that would not ask him to relieve her sadness, when he had been wishing for a way to let her smile. She looked to him, and her tears slowed as her happiness slowly diminished. The pleading face assured her that if she did not tell him the truth, then his heart would be tainted with uncertainty. In acceptance she closed her eyes, letting the tears cease as her heart stirred from its plagues again.

"You shall become the Overseer of the Cave of Ordeals.  
>The tribe of the west will be the first to succeed.<br>You shall bring protection to one who wreaks destruction,  
>Only to be lost through the passage of time.<br>When you are forgotten, your cave shall be sealed.  
>The one who shall release you will bring back the Light.<br>Bequeath the Hero your blessings, when he has proven his strength  
>And has captured your heart,<br>But know in return,  
>You shall never hold his."<p>

The last of her words were like a screeching flat note to an enchanting melody. The haunting soothe of her voice was broken by the shattering knowledge he had been given, and once again, as he stood in her presence, he felt guilty. Responsible.

"I..." he was almost speechless. Should he feel flattered? "I'm sorry."

"Is an apology the only way you know to remedy something?" Her quiet tone softened the harsh cut of her words. "It is this knowledge that has saddened me. It is through no fault of yours."

"But that's just it, I..."

If he had not come back so often, if he had not had that unfathomable fascination with her and this cave, would this have happened? Then he realized what he was thinking, and wondered if the last part of the warning was really true.

"I do feel something. I've wanted to come back," he finally said. "Even before I knew what was down here. I wanted to see _you_. I've dreamed of you, wondered of you. I've put so much effort just to getting to the end of this, when I didn't _have_ to. You can't tell me that doesn't _mean_ something."

She could see the sincerity in his eyes, and her heart both lifted and hurt, though her expression did not change. As though she had expected such words.

"It brings me joy to hear you say that," came the soft admittance, "but it is not something you or I can indulge. A romance between a fae and a mortal can only end in heartbreak."

The murmur seemed to bring up a barrier between them, making the possibility appear even more outlandish. And their mystifying time together more unbearable.

"Hero," murmured the Great Fairy, and her whisper broke the tension, "might I have a request?"

"Anything," he said within a heartbeat.

"May I have your name?"

He marveled silently, after everything that had just happened. Did she honestly not know? Did any of the higher spirits know his real name?

"I am Link," he finally said.

"Link," she tasted it on her tongue, and smiled at the man she could finally identify. "It is a fine name."

The bottle slowly lowered, and the Hero raised his hands to cradle the shimmering tears the Great Fairy had just shed. Link looked to the treasure a bit sadly, and regretfully. He had finally passed. He was stronger now, more capable. This was the goal of the cave, the whole reason for this construction. Gently glowing fingers curled up to his face, and he stared at her as she carefully cupped his cheek. From her hand came warmth, but not the same warmth of a living creature. This warmth had a reach that seeped deep into his skin, heating almost his entire face.

"Drink this, and you should be able to clear any difficulties that you might encounter ahead."

Link was paralyzed as he watched her lean over and kiss his other cheek. She remained there for a long moment, and despite the innocence, he blushed, stunned that this radiant creature would show no hesitance at touching him. She pulled away to look at him, and he finally realized why he could never identify the color. Yellow ivory blended into rosy pink, and swirled into a dark ocean teal that blended like the kaleidoscopic colors of her wings, yet their mystical colors were rendered less daunting by the shy happiness peering through the windows that made her soul more human than not. He could easily be lost staring into them.

"Forgive my selfish heart. Thank you, Link. You are very kind. If you ever need my assistance again, visit any spring."

Almost regretfully, the hand left his cheek, leaving him cold, and making Link desperately crave her touch again. The prophecy did not seem right. If she was not supposed to hold his heart, then why did he feel so attached to her?

"Your journey is almost over. I pray for your safety-"

"Wait."

She stopped curiously at his beseeching face.

"May I ask _you_ a favor?"

Her head tilted with a silent sigh. "I'm afraid there is nothing else I can do for you," she turned her head away, "even if I were to wish it."

"Please."

Bare fingertips had reached out to her cheek. Despite the steadiness he exuded, almost undetectable quakes cursed his body, channeling through his fingers, and she did not resist when he gently turned her face to him.

"Let me know for myself, if the gods' words ring true."

_I should stop him_.

Yet she could only close her eyes, and say nothing, as the Hero slightly tilted his own head up to brush the Great Fairy's lips with the weight of a butterfly. She felt her affection for him grow almost cruelly at the gesture. Nervy reticence brought Link away, but he did not move far, and kept his gaze close to her face. She looked questioningly into his blue eyes, and realized they were not just "blue". They were sharpened with the edge of a gray storm cloud, yet colored with the vivid expressions flickering through his mind. It made "the Hero" seem more like "the Boy", yet somehow she could not think less of him. She could easily be lost in them, but he did not give her a chance as eased confidence had Link pull them together again. It was more desperate and wholesome, and this time their lips melded into eternity. The rough leather of his gloves warmed her cheek, and her soft hand held his wrist as her other gripped the back of his neck. He could again feel the flow of magicke through her skin, and she marveled at the primal beat of his quickening pulse. He had to pull away first, to regain his stolen breath, and she herself felt lightheaded. They stared in shock at the rush they had just felt, always imagining, but never prepared for the sensation of making the physical contact of the fabled race. She had to be the first to look down.

"You should go." Her words were no more than a breath.

He nodded once, and whispered against her lips. "I'll find you at the springs."

"You cannot," she felt almost in horror of what he proposed, "not for this. They are holy portals for assistance, not means for a rendezvous."

"Then I'll return here"

"You have no more time. Those on the surface cry out for you to save them. You must go back."

He let go of the dodged whispers, and let his voice come through again. "What of after?" he countered. "I swore to rid this land of evil's reign, and no one is holding me to anything after. Why can I not come to see you once I have succeeded?"

"I know your sincerity," she had to pull away to prevent her own submission to temptation. She forced herself to speak louder, though it was still a quiet murmur. "But their warnings should be heeded. Believe their words, and know this cannot go on. You have your duties, as do I."

His brows furrowed slightly as he scrutinized her. "You trust them to say that you'll never gain my affections, yet you attempt to dissuade me even when I tell you it's already proven false. Does protecting the "Hero" with your love also include denying his?"

She cursed his observation. She had to look away from the suspicious eyes that bore into hers.

"You're hiding something," he realized, "there's more to it, isn't there? Please," the left hand on her cheek reached down to her right arm just under her band, and his grip was firm, but careful, "tell me the truth. Tell me what you are keeping from me."

"I have already told you more than you should know."

"This concerns me," he rebutted, and his grip tightened as his anger increased. The gods had given him knowledge in order to face his foe. Why were they starting to keep things from him now, when it concerned his own future? "I know what I feel is not a passing fancy. Either you've lied to me, or I don't know my own heart. Is it my fate in the battle? Has it been predicted I'll die in my fight?"

"No!" The fear in her eyes just from the suggestion was almost overwhelming. "It is only your heart it concerns, not your _life_."

"Then explain its meaning to me." He had already begun to glow, yet he did not notice. "These emotions are real; I felt them before I even realized what they were. I have never felt this strongly for anyone!"

"But that will not stop you from fleeing!"

She finally shoved him away, and before he could register his shock, he had vanished to the surface, far away to Lanayru Springs.  
>She remained after, staring at the spot he had just occupied, before lowering her head and kneeling into the springs. The Great Fairy's sobs echoed with none to hear, for all monsters had been slain, and she cried at the grief she knew was coming, but could never prepare for.<p>

_For even though your affections shall be requited for a night_  
><em>His heart will ultimately be captured and shattered by Twilight,<em>  
><em>And his grief shall rouse his spirit<em>  
><em>To fly forever from your reach.<em>

* * *

><p>AN: As far as I'm concerned, Link cared deeply for Midna, but did not realize how much of his heart she actually held until she sacrificed herself, and then broke the mirror. In my view, he is not two timing. That was definitely not my intention.


	9. Marin X Link

**Marin X Link chapter, written by Lleu**

* * *

><p><strong>Return to Koholint<strong>

Link hobbled up the hill to Hyrule Castle, painfully aware of every day of his seventy-five years. The guards, of course, immediately recognized him and let the hero pass with a sharp salute that he didn't bother returning. Fighting his arm up to return it would take too long, and he wasn't about to waste any more time than he had to.

He was going to the castle for a feast celebrating his birthday. He didn't know the exact date, and the only one who might have had died long ago, killed in an evil man's quest for power. Princess Zelda- no, just Zelda now. The crown had long since passed to her daughter. Zelda and he had decided that his eighteenth birthday fell on the day he earned the title Hero of Time, so that is when they celebrated.

Looking at the crowds of people in the courtyard who had come for the feast, Link almost had trouble remembering that Ganon's reign of terror had not happened for any of them. Strange as it was, the crowds were celebrating not the defeat of a tyrant, but the life of a hero. His life. He wondered if he had really done enough in his sixty years of service to merit this much affection. He also wondered if any of them knew of the sacrifices he had made for them. But such thoughts led to dark places, so Link pushed them from his mind and determined to enjoy the party as best he could.

Old Darunia was sitting next to the King of the Zoras, Ralto or something. That old Goron would probably still be kicking when the current Princess Zelda's grandchild was buried. Link made his way over to the sage, and for a time they reminisced about their old adventures. He tried, he really did, but that night he just couldn't find it within him to be sociable. After a few minutes, begging tiredness, he excused himself and started toward his seat.

Darunia's son, Link, spotted him on the way there and ran over.

"Hero of Time!" he said in a low booming voice. "Took you long enough. Let me help you to your seat." The hero leaned on the Goron's arm gratefully as he escorted him to the head table next to Zelda.

Link didn't really pay attention to most of the party; that was not what he spent over fifty years waiting for, but it was a necessity. There were speeches, music, dancing, the best entertainment the land could provide, all no doubt very fine. There were gifts from each race, expensive and shiny, that he would never use or even think about after that evening. Finally, after an eternity of waiting, it was his turn to speak.

"Friends," he said in a shaky voice, worn from age. "I thank you for coming so far with such extravagant gifts on my account. To think how much esteem you hold for an old man like me- it brings tears to my eyes. I am touched, truly.

"Unfortunately, I must now take my leave of you wonderful people. I am not the man I once was. I can hardly wield a blade in this country's defense, and my mind too has grown past the point of practical use. Friends, it is time for me to retire. Thank you."

A short speech, but he had never been much of a talker anyway. He waited impatiently until the party ended, and Zelda tearfully kissed him on the cheek. She knew they would never meet again.

At last it was the end of the day and he returned to his house, alone again. This was it - the moment he had been waiting for ever since he washed up on Hyrule so many years ago. He swallowed an orange potion that had been waiting on his nightstand for half a century, laid down, and closed his eyes.

When he opened them, he was once again on the beach. It was exactly as he remembered it. Seagulls flew over head as crabs and octorocks patrolled the ground. Even his youth was restored, and he swung his sword about, excited to feel its weight again. But that was not why he was here.

Link strode down the beach until he heard music- a soothing melody that was eternally beautiful. He followed it to a secret area of the beach known only to him and the one who sat there.

He leaned against a tree, watching her luxurious red hair blow in the wind as the girl rocked from side to side with her song. He fought back tears as he gazed at her, trying to freeze the image forever in his mind. Eventually he walked forward.

"Marin," he said.

The girl turned. "Link?" He smiled, and she ran into his arms. He held her and stroked her hair as he had done years ago and inhaled her scent once more.

"It's been so long," she said.

"Hyrule needed me."

"And now?"

"It doesn't."

To Link, choosing between a peaceful with Marin and a life in service to Hyrule had never been an issue. There was a job he was sworn to do, and though it pained him, he would do it. However, that had not stopped him from spending a week fasting in the Temple of Time. When the goddesses had finally appeared to him, he had begged for a way back to Koholint when his job was done. For his extraordinary service, they had granted him a potion that would return him to the island when he became too old to continue guarding Hyrule.

Fifty-five years, and he had never loved another. Hyrule had been his sole master, but now he could rest.

"I knew you would return," Marin said, barely holding back tears. "I just knew it, so I've been waiting."

"The Wind Fish-"

"-has been awakened. We can leave the island now. We can go anywhere!"

Link laughed, overwhelmed with joy. He had not dared to hope that the goddesses would also grant her wish to see other lands, but it seemed that they had.

"You won't leave me again, will you?" Marin asked.

"No," Link said. "I will stay with you, and we will explore the world together. Forever."


	10. Ashei X Shad

**Ashei X Shad chapter, written by msfcatlover**

* * *

><p>Ashei walked up behind the copper-haired young man and stood there, waiting expectantly for him to notice her. He didn't. After about fifteen seconds, the blonde across the table muttered, "Someone to see you, Shad," making him jump and turn around swiftly.<p>

He blushed. "Um, hi. Sorry about that, I tend to get a bit sucked into the books…"

"Well you're back now, yeah?" she responded with a smirk, grabbing the chair next to him and dropping into it.

"Well yes, I suppose so." He smiled nervously at her, and pushed his glasses up his nose. "What do you need, Miss?"

Ashei snorted. "Miss? The name's Ashei."

"Sports queen extraordinaire," the blonde muttered again. She glared at him.

"You think you could beat me, yeah?"

"Oh, I don't _think_, you–"

"Link!" Shad gasped, appalled at his companion's language.

The blonde grimaced. "Sorry," he spat, not sounding sorry at all.

Shad turned back to Ashei. "You'll have to forgive him, he's just a bit bitter." A snort from the other end of the table declared this to be an understatement. "How can I help you, Mi-I mean, Ashei?"

"History, how else?"

She glared at Link. "If you can't keep your mouth shut, I'll shut it for you, yeah?"

He snorted again.

"Oh, please don't fight!" They both turned to stare at Shad. He bit his lip nervously. "Link, if the lady came to ask for assistance, we should help her without resorting to rudeness. You should _know_ that!" His friend muttered something under his breath.

Ashei sighed. "I just need help with history, yeah? Everyone knows you know this stuff back to front."

"And sideways," Link muttered, earning himself another glare.

Shad, however, just nodded. "Well, I suppose I do. Umm…"

"I need to know a rough history of Hyrule, enough to get at least a B minus, by next this time in two months, yeah?"

He gave her a warm smile. "Oh, I think we can manage that."

"Why do you keep saying 'we,'" The blonde was glaring at them now. "when you know all I contribute are the commentaries?"

* * *

><p>"And who came after the Hero of Time?"<p>

"The Wanderer, yeah?"

If it had been anyone but Shad, the notecards would've been on the floor in tiny pieces. Instead, all he did was sigh, pinch the bridge of his nose and correct her. "No, the Hero of Winds is the next _confirmed_ Hero. If you want to take a gamble, you say the Hero of Twilight."

"Gotcha."

"Do you?" They both shot exasperated looks to the boy at the end of the table. "That's the third time in the last four days you've gotten that, _specific question_, wrong. What happens when it gets mixed up, changed, or left out?" he explained. Shad nodded.

"Link's right. From now on, I'll shuffle the cards before we begin." He glanced at his watch and paled. "Oh dear! I need to go, I'm expected at the library in ten minutes!"

Ashei sighed as she helped clean up the mess. "Next week we'll try timelines, yeah?"

"Oh? You're not coming tomorrow?"

"No. Fridays I have fencing." He nodded, and they went their separate ways.

Link glanced up from his own homework and smiled.

* * *

><p>It quickly settled into a rhythm. Thursdays they left early, so Shad could get to his job at the library, and Fridays he sat and wrote up a plan for the next week. And Link sat and watched them.<p>

"Are you sure she's worth all this effort?" he asked one Friday. Shad had blushed and fidgeted with his glasses, a gesture his friend knew meant he wasn't comfortable with the topic.

"Well, she has so much trouble; I just feel we should do everything we can to help."

"I really wish you'd stop including me in that 'we'. Do you at least know why she needs a B minus? I mean, C is passing."

"She told me her parents will cancel her fencing lessons if she doesn't bring her grade up."

"Fencing means a lot to her, huh?"

"I suppose so."

"Huh." And Link went back to his math textbook.

* * *

><p>Ashei paused outside of the library. <em>I should really pick up some books of my own, yeah? Should've done it weeks ago, <em>she told herself, and opened the door.

The history section had nothing but dry old tomes she could tell by looking at would put her to sleep before she got past the first page. _But don't they make children's books from some of the legends? Those should be more exciting…_ She headed for the stairs.

After the second flight, she heard a familiar voice.

"Right, what shall we read today?" Shad asked. There was a chorus of small voices, and he laughed. She smiled. _He has a nice laugh. He should use it more._ "Alright, alright," He called, trying to make himself heard over the children. "The tale of the Hourglass it is!" She crept down another flight, settled down on the second to last step, still hidden within the stairwell. "Our story truly begins long before our story begins…"

And from there it unfolded. He described epic battles, powerful weapons, a vast sea filled with evil, preying on the very people who lived there. It was impossible to tell what he was reading from, if anything, as he gave everything his own twist, a dash of humor and, closing her eyes, Ashei could imagine the hand gestures he was probably using to help paint this mural of words. The great monster Bellum battled with the Ocean King for supremacy of the lands and the seas around them, and the poor Hero struggled to help every- and anyone he met, all while battling Bellum's forces. Shad's voice rose and swelled, only to dip down to a whisper she had to lean forwards to hear.

"He's amazing, isn't he?" a voice asked right next to her ear. Ashei jumped, and stared at the girl. She was tallish, and blonde, though there were a few rebellious pink streaks mixed in. She smiled. "You must be Ashei. I'm Zelda, Link's little sister." _Oh._ Well, that explained why she looked familiar.

Zelda sat down on the step above her and leaned against the wall. "Can you believe he gets this stuff from those dusty old things upstairs? He just goes through, studies the details, and throws in a healthy dose of excitement. And he's the only one who can tell a story well enough to shut the little brats up long enough for the rest of us to get an Advil." Ashei's worried glance was met with a laughing smile. "I'm joking."

"Oh. Good." The Hero was making his way through the boiling hot Fire Temple, filled with quicksand, monsters that couldn't be hurt, Beamos, and–

"You know, my brother says you've done Shad a world of good. He doesn't have many friends."

"Huh?" _What did she say?_ The Hero was teaming up with a young Goron…

"Oh, sorry. I won't interrupt the story again."

* * *

><p>"…and as they argued, as they always did, the Hero checked his pockets. And do you know what he found there?" Shad smiled as the children, even the ones who'd heard the story before, leaned forwards. "A small hourglass, with gold rims around the top and bottom, made of blue glass. Running to the opposite rail, he watched as a ship <em>just like the one he'd just spent so much time on<em>, chugging off towards the horizon. Three colored balls bobbed and played over it, and he could just make out a man in a captain's jacket at the wheel." He sighed happily and leaned back. The children, sensing that the story was over, immediately went back to chattering. A round of applause drew his attention to the stairs, where Zelda was standing. And beside her…

He shot to his feet. "A-Ashei! What are you?"

"That was pretty good, yeah? You have talent." She smiled. A real smile, too, not the smirks she normally gave him. He flushed and scrambled to his feet.

"Well, n-not really, I mean, i-it's just facts…"

"It's amazing is what it is!" Zelda laughed, as she rounded up the kids. "I'm always telling him he should get a job narrating," she added to Ashei.

"It's nothing like that…"

"It is!" they said in perfect unison. He looked back and forth between them for a minute, before dropping back into his chair and laughing. Though he didn't see it, Ashei's eyes softened a bit.

* * *

><p>"So, Zelda tells me you dropped in on one of Shad's reading lessons?"<p>

"Yeah?" Ashei narrowed her eyes suspiciously in Link's general direction. But, for once, he wasn't on the attack.

"Do you remember what it was about?"

"Yeah."

"Can you tell me about it?"

She hesitated for a second, but, not seeing how it could hurt, she launched into a rough retelling of the tale of the Hourglass. As she spoke, the blonde's grin slowly widened.

"Just as I thought," he chuckled, thumbing through his textbook.

"What?" Shad asked, coming around the bookshelf with a stack of charts.

"She remembers your story."

"So? We're studying history, yeah?" She glanced at Shad, who also looked confused, until Link slapped down the textbook. It was open to a section titled **The Warping of Time and Space and how it Affected the Hero of Winds**.

She stared.

"That _was_ history!" Link declared proudly, "You remembered history!"

"No, I remembered a story, yeah?"

"Yes! So we just have to make history _less like history!_" She continued to stare at him in confusion. Shad sighed.

"Have I ever told you Link is the regional chess champ?" he murmured, sitting down next to her. "He's very good at looking at things from different angles."

"He's just not giving us one we can understand, yeah?"

The blonde scowled at them. "I'm trying to tell you that in order to remember the history, you just have to remember the stories!"

"Took you that much time to say _that?_" Her tone was scathing.

"…Shut up," he muttered.

And so their study sessions turned into story sessions, with the boys quizzing her on the details when the tale was over. It was more fun than she'd ever expected.

And the best part was definitely that she got to see Shad laugh.

* * *

><p>The day of the test crept up on them. One Friday, Ashei came in waving a piece of paper with a large, red A- scrawled across the top.<p>

"_Finally_ some peace and quiet!" Link crowed triumphantly. Shad gave her a weak smile and a soft congratulations, not looking too pleased about it.

She was oblivious. "Mr. Fin said he had to take points off for 'taking liberties with history,' but it's still so much more than I hoped, yeah? So I'm taking you both out for a surprise!"

"When?" Shad asked.

"Right now, silly!" She laughed, grabbing his wrist and dragging him out the door. Link smiled and grabbed their bags on his way out the door.

* * *

><p>"Welcome to the Dojo! We call it that because most of us started in karate here when we were little, yeah?" She beamed. "I thought you'd like to see some of our practice matches, so I pulled a few strings with the Sensei. I have to go change, yeah?" Another student came and showed them to a side bench that was probably usually occupied by doting parents. Shad pulled out a book out of the bag Link thrust at him and settled down to wait.<p>

He wasn't sure how long it'd been when Link poked him in the ribs and muttered, "Look already, will you?" making him turn his attention away from the book.

It never went back. The fights, even with their safely blunted foils, did not lack for deadly grace. He didn't know the rules, or the moves, and it was clear nobody was keeping score for the fights, but it was still mesmerizing. And when Ashei took the mat…she obviously dominated every match she was given. It was like a dance. A beautiful, graceful, seemingly deadly dance. And it took his breath away.

Afterwards, she came up to them again. Sweat plastered her black hair to her face and neck, and she was breathing heavily, but her eyes were shining and a wide grin split her face. "Pretty cool, yeah?" she panted, "It's thanks to you guys I can still do this."

_How could her parents have even threatened to take this away from her,_ he wondered, _when she clearly loves it so much?_ He knew how he'd feel if his father tried to take his books.

Link gave him a look that clearly said "She's worked hard for this, say something!"

"It's amazing, Ashei," Shad murmured. "Just amazing."

She beamed at him.

* * *

><p>Time passed. She came with him every Thursday to listen to his stories. He went with her when she participated in tournaments. Link, Zelda, and one of Ashei's friends, Malon came as well to the latter, but Thursday s felt special for some reason. And when the End of the Year Dance (their school was too small for a prom) rolled around, it was unanimously decided that they'd go as a group.<p>

Shad sat back and watched his friends mingle with the crowd. An uproarious laugh from his left could only be Zelda, and the crowd of girls around the refreshments suggested Link wasn't coming back with his punch anytime soon. He sighed. _Too bad, I'm thirsty. I really should have insisted on getting it myself._

A petite redhead in a pink gown bounced over, grinning. "_Sha-ad!_" she called, drawing his name out into two syllables. "When are you gonna ask Ashei to _da-ance?_"

He blinked. "Malon, what are you going on about?"

She propped one hand on her hip and pouted. "C'mon! You're a boy, she's a girl, you _ob-vi-ous-ly_ like each other. When. Are. You. Going. To. Ask–"

"I get it!" He sighed again. "Not tonight. First of all, I can't dance. Second of all, it's not like that."

Malon clapped. "I _lo-ve_ how you've made romance the second priority! And for your information, one: you don't have to _dance_-dance, it's the concept that counts. And two: if it isn't, it _should be!_"

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Malon, I'm not going to argue with you."

"_Yay!_"

"And I'm not going along with one of your matchmaking schemes, either." Her jaw dropped as he turned and made his way out of the gym.

Link appeared behind her, holding two punch cups. "You'd think they'd never seen a guy before, the way they're acting over–Malon, where'd Shad go?"

She turned around with a bright smile. "_Li-ink!_ Would you lend me a hand?"

"With what?"

* * *

><p>Ashei dropped into a chair and slipped out of her heels with a groan. <em>My poor feet…<em>

"Punch?" She looked up, startled.

"Link. You didn't get that punch for me, yeah?"

He grinned. "True, but Shad's disappeared on me." The blonde dropped into the chair beside her. "Seen him?"

"Shad? No."

"Pity. I was hoping he'd finally gotten up the guts."

"To what?"

"I dunno. To talk to you about something."

Ashei sat bolt upright. "What?"

There was a long pause, before Link sighed. "Malon might love to play matchmaker, but she has a good eye. I suppose he's never going to tell you, either…"

"What are you talking about, yeah?"

"_Ash-ei!_"

"I guess I don't have to explain."

Malon bounced into the seat on her friend's other side. "_Ash-ei!_ I'm amazed you haven't noticed yet!" The redhead shook a finger in the other girl's face. "Shad _really likes_ you!"

"…What?"

"I'm leaving," Link muttered.

"Oh no you're not!" Malon grabbed the back of his jacket with one hand and turned back to Ashei. "You're the queen of just-friendships, and Shad's the king of shyness, but I'm amazed neither of you has noticed this yet! You _really like_ him too, right?"

Ashei turned helplessly to Link, who threw his hands in the air in a "And what can _I_ do?" gesture. She sighed.

"Malon, Shad and I will not be one of your little projects, yeah?" She stood. Link made another attempt at escape, forcing Malon to grab his jacket with both hands.

"Don't you walk out on me too!" she whined.

"You've tried this one Shad?" Link exclaimed, "No wonder he disappeared!"

Ashei turned and hurried off into the crowd. There was a moment of silence before Malon smiled.

"Nice work."

"Just let go of my jacket."

* * *

><p>"Shad?" He looked up at the surprised voice, and managed a weak smile.<p>

"Oh, hi Ashei."

"Yeah." She slid to the floor beside him. "Malon pulled one of her stunts on you too, yeah?"

He chuckled. "Indeed. Hiding?"

"No. Couldn't go any farther. My shoes killed my feet, yeah?"

A frown creased his forehead. "But you're not wearing any shoes…"

"Exactly." They shared a smile. In the gym, the song changed from a slow dance to something with a beat. The lyrics were muffled beyond recognition, but it still sounded familiar. Ashei leaned back and hummed along for a bit.

"You?" she finally asked.

"What?"

"You are hiding from her, yeah?"

"Yes."

"I understand." He turned, surprised, and found himself face to face with one of those small, surprising smiles. "She can be intimidating sometimes, yeah?"

"Yes."

"Hmmm." She went back to humming. He stared at their reflection in the windows and wondered if he'd ever have the courage to be anything more than friends with her. He wondered what would happen if he turned and asked her exactly what she thought of him right now…

"We'd be cute, yeah?"

"_What?_"

"That's what Malon and the others think. That we'd be cute together." She sighed. "It's no one else's business, yeah? Who we decide to be with?"

"No. That is, it's for us to choose. Not them."

"Hmmm. Shad?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for helping me, yeah?"

He smiled. "Yeah."

And when the others found them asleep in the hall, leaning against each other, their smiles were even wider.


	11. Saria X Dark

**Saria X Dark chapter, written by TheKiro**

* * *

><p><strong>Better Forget<strong>

"They told me to not talk to strangers."

Her eyes were big and round as she blinked at the young man who was taller by more than two and a half heads.

He glanced down at the girl and lifted an eyebrow of his slowly.

"Then why are you talking to me?"

Her lips formed into a big smile and her eyes would start to twinkle softly.

"Because!"

She had started to speak to him suddenly a few days ago and he couldn't understand why she chose him out of all people who surrounded them. He didn't remember how much time has passed since he has escaped out of this water temple and how the main town he fled to had changed its shape over the years. It got bigger; it expanded and got livelier every single day. He hated it.

It took him long enough to at least move through the sunset light safely and now when he would search in a bar for shelter during the daytime she appeared. A girl too young to be wandering alone like she did with unnatural green short hair, he wasn't the one to judge her because of that. He was pale like a ghost, had black hair and red colored eyes – not an average look you would say. But he wasn't normal either anyway. A shadow he was called, a mirror image of someone everybody loved and respected. Just because of that he wore a cape with a hood to hide his face, it only frustrated him that so many people would ask if he was a certain hero they heard of.

"What's your name? I'm Saria." She leaned onto the counter and looked to her side curiously.

"I have no name." Was his answer, cold and aggressive.

Saria, so she called herself seemed to not care about his attitude towards her. She would only smile innocently and then continue to talk. At first he ignored her, it was bad enough that the barkeeper tried to start conversations with him; he didn't need a little kid to run after him now, too. But slowly a few words caught his attention and a very few sentences reached his mind.

"I'm lost, what about you?" She would ask on the third day.

He stayed quiet and turned his head towards her carefully.

"You just won't shut up, won't you?"

The girl glanced at him with a blank expression before she would again smile and laugh softly. She shook her head wildly.

"No! If I don't talk it would be too quiet."

"Silence is good."

"No it's not. It's just lonely."

It was a first for him to see her without a childish smile. Her blue eyes watched the counter regretfully and the young man was close to ask why she had such a face while saying those words. However it wouldn't be him if he wouldn't just ignore it and he grabbed his glass with his left in leather clothed hand. It took Saria a few minutes to finally speak up again, retelling an encounter with a stray dog last night – as if she had never said anything else before that.

"I don't remember that much anymore." The fourth day was rainy. They could hear the raindrops crash onto the house loudly, drumming a melody which soothed his nerves.

The black haired one only glanced at her once, for Saria it seemed to be a sign to continue.

"Do you know this feeling…when you have experienced already so much that your memories start to blur?" Saria pulled at her green sleeves softly. "Memories disappear which I think, are important. But I can't do anything against it, they just slip away."

"Just…how old are you?" His hoarse voice scratched in his throat. He never talked much.

Saria smiles sheepishly. "I don't know. I…forgot."

The older one sighed and gulped down his drink. "Me too."

The fifth day arrived and like always he would sit at the counter. This time he was not the first to arrive because the very moment he opened the door to the local, a certain someone turned around quickly from the place where he usually sit. It didn't irritate him anymore, he even got used to it. To see everyday this weird green hair was close to being a habit he started to development.

"Why are you always here?" Were her first words as he finally sat down next to her.

"Why are you here?" He countered casually.

"I…don't know where to go else."

"Same here." He answered and the barkeeper, a middle-aged man with a short grey beard, handed him a drink.

"Why do you hide your face?" Saria's small fingers caressed the glass of milk carefully.

"Why do you care?"

"I'm curious." She smiled brightly but he shook his head and took a gulp of the liquid in his glass.

"Why is your hair green?"

Saria stared at him confusedly but then started to giggle patting her head absently. The young man only rolled his eyes at her childish reaction and continued to stare holes into the air; he had to wait for the night to arrive so that he could get out of here again. The drink suddenly tasted bitter on his numb tongue and he would grimace slightly. Time went by a lot slower than it did in the past. The pale young man wondered if maybe it was because of this child.

The sixth day appeared to be not a very good day. The sky was masked with a wall of dark clouds; the rain fell heavy and loudly onto the streets and you could hear the thunder crackle in the distance. It didn't really disturb him in the slightest, he even preferred such kind of weather because then less people would visit the bar and more less people would move around in the town. The one who had problems with the situation was the little girl next to him who hugged her knees to her chest.

"I don't like this weather." She sighed.

"You hate it?"

"No." Saria finally looked up. "Hate is such a strong word…I don't like it. It's loud, scary and depressing."

"I like it." He watched the glass in his hand with sudden interest.

"Really?" Her eyes widened maybe because he had started to talk more with her or maybe because he confessed that he liked at least something at all in this world.

"Yeah." He swallowed his drink in one gulp and took a deep breath.

"I like music." The girl suddenly said - her bad mood because of the weather forgotten. "I've always played on my Ocarina but…" She furrowed her brow. "…I forgot the melody I used to play."

He glances at her for a short moment and then turned to the barkeeper to order a new drink.

"Then create a new one."

The night which followed was endless. The young man who was called a shadow in the past wasn't able to enjoy the time like he always could. The wind was soft and quiet and the fountain was the only source of noise he could hear. A few stray dogs were rushing across the alleys but that was it. He leaned against the cold stone wall and started to count the stars to keep himself occupied. It was so silly for him to be waiting for the next day to hurry. The young man didn't want to wonder why or when it started but he was looking forward to see this weird green hair and hear her voice.

His numb guts would tingle so softly, when he thought about her.

"I wonder how the world looks like." Saria held onto her glass filled with Lon Lon milk as she stared at it, on the next day.

"What do you mean?"

"Well…I do remember a forest really well…and this town but that's it. I want to see more." The girl kicked out with her feet which hang in the air.

"Then travel." He answered uninterested while drinking.

"But where to?" She gave him a desperate look.

"You want to see the world, right?" She nodded. "Then just go."

Saria crossed her arms. "It's easier to say than to do and it's lonely to go alone." She sighed and furrowed her brow. "I guess it's better to just stay."

Words lay heavily on his tongue and he had to bit it from straining himself to say them. However in the end it didn't help anyway. The pain was numb in his veins and he knew that he wouldn't stay here forever, too. He has been here long enough, years. And this pattern started to bore him mercilessly.

"I'll come with you."

Saria's eyes lit up, like the sun would do he imagined. Her lips formed a smile so big and honest that her white small teeth show. And her cheeks turned red filling her face with warmth he dreamed of every single night. Suddenly shy she looked at her hands, breaking the eye contact they shared.

"Thank you…I…I had wished that you…would say that…"

The older looking one watched her with a quiet expression. A pulse so weak that he had to guess it could be the something people call a heartbeat sends shivers down his spine. He had never felt something like that in all that years but now he didn't want to miss it anymore. He didn't want to miss _her_ anymore. With slow and careful hands he pushed down the hood which had hidden his face for so many years. The candle light was so bright, was his first thought.

He turned his head towards her and watched how Saria would stare at him in awe.

"You look kinda familiar." The little girl muttered thoughtfully but then she shook her head and laughed warmly at him with her puffed red cheeks. "But I forgot why."

His lips twitched ever so slightly into a cracked smile.

"To forget things is always better than to remember them."

Saria nodded as if she understood the hidden meaning as much as he did. Her right small hand grabbed his left one as she intertwined them bravely, for a second he thought he felt her beating heart through their touch. It was strong and fast, just like he had imagined. Just like he thought his own one would do if he really had a real one. The dark haired man noticed the urge in him which told him to finally leave this town, to take her with him and never let her go.

He squeezed her small hand in his big one.

_Oh_ he would never let her go, he was sure of it.


	12. Midna X Dark

**Midna X Dark chapter, written by Lynk of the Ink.**

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><p>"I KNOW!" I screamed. "I've known for a month!"<p>

I stormed from the room, leaving my bewildered lady-in-waiting in the dust.

I ran out onto the balcony. The same balcony where Zant had found his 'god'. I ran to the end, where I sank to the ground, my head in my hands sobbing.

"WHY?" I cried out to the gods, throwing my head back to look at the heavens. "Why do you curse me like this? I was transformed to an imp, I fell in love with a man from another species, and now you do _this_? Why gods, why? What I have I done wrong?"

But I knew what I had done.

I wailed, a long, howling sound of misery. And then I slumped forward, tears streaming for my eyes. My lips moved in a silent prayer to the gods of Twilight that whomever my brother chose for me would be a good man. A good-no. I couldn't say it, even in my thoughts.

"An odd spot to be praying."

I looked up, but the person was already sitting down beside me. A boy, about my age. I gasped slightly and turned my face away as though I'd been slapped. He looked like...like _him_. If _he_ had been a Twili, this is what he would have looked like.

"What?" he asked. His voice was similar, but different. Teasing. A hint of sarcasm. "Does my handsome face shame yours so much you cannot bear to look upon it?"

what a jerk! His 'handsome face'...? his face might be as flawless and beautiful as the gods liked, but in his eyes..by Din, he was flirting with me!

"No..." I choked. "Y-you shouldn't talk to me like that anyway. If somebody hears you will be executed. That honor is reserved for my betrothed," I added bitterly.

"Then I said it to the right princess."

I looked at him, startled. I gulped. "I-I'm sorry," I stammered. "I-It's just that y-you look a lot like..."

He nodded. "Like my brother." a flicker of a smile crossed his lips at my surprise. "I know. I've been told that before. I think...I think that may be why King Mordechai chose me to marry you."

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

He smiled. "Looking for you. Your mother is looking for you. She wants you for dress fittings. How long have you known?"

I sniffed. "I overheard Mordechai and Ami talking about it near a month ago. What I meant was, why are you..well, here. Why aren't you out there? Enjoying the sunshine, and talking to humans, and-"

"Because I can't."

"What? What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "I'm a changeling. Or rather, he is."

It would explain why the poor boy's parents had abandoned him. And why he was the only Hylian in a village of humans. But still...

"So then..." my voice trailed off.

"Yes. He was meant to be born a Twili. Of course, the gods probably wouldn't have made him noble born."

I blinked. "What happened then? Why are you here, instead of him?"

He sighed. "It was a mistake. Nothing more, nothing less. If I was born into the Light World I would have had Shadow Magic, you see. The gods placed me in my mothers womb, but they soon realized their mistake. They knew that the Hero of Light had to be born from these parents, but they forgot. Made a mistake, as even gods will do. Nayru remembered, and reminded the others, but not before a mage told my mother that their child would be born with Shadow Magic."

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Don't be. It's the only way their world, and ours had a fighting chance. Because you were born in Twilight, and Link was born in the Light."

Link. His name. Link. I had not dared to say it even silently for two months, yet here he said it as though it were nothing.

"So then..." I understood immediately. "But, if he's your changeling, then what's _your _name?"

He shrugged. "Depends. What do most people call me, you mean?"

"I guess that would be easiest."

He looked down. "Dark Link. Dark for short."

I snorted. The snorting turned into chuckles, the chuckles turned into laughter.

"It's good to see you laughing," Dark commented. "If we are to be married then I suppose that I should know how to make you laugh."

My laughter stopped so abruptly that I began choking. I coughed, my eyes tearing. And not just because of the coughing.

"I wish someone had _told _me," I commented tearfully. "already they are preparing the wedding, and this is the first time anybody has been honest enough to come out and tell me I'm to marry you."

He nodded. "I know."

That was about the time when I realized that I might actually grow to love this man.

(~*~)

He snuck into my rooms that night.

"Midna," I heard a voice whisper. It was so faint I thought that I was imagining it, that it was in my dreams or in the wind whispering through the trees. "Midna," it whispered again, this time louder.

I sat up. "What?" I recognized the voice. "Dark? Is that you? Where are you?"

"Outside your window." he sounded amused, teasing.

"What!" I scrambled out of bed, throwing on my dressing gown over my shift. "Stalker!" I hissed, leaning out the window to greet him.

He was sitting there, perched in the tree outside my window. The nights get hopelessly hot in the Twilight Realm, so he had abandoned his tunic and undershirt. He was also barefoot, and his hair was mussed. It looked as though he hadn't combed it since he climbed out of bed.

Never the less, he could never have looked more handsome.

He was grinning like it was his birthday. "Hold on," I told him, slipping back into my room. I pulled off my dressing gown and shift, after drawing the curtains closed. I pulled on my skirt and a belt, tying it loosely. The skirt I chose was loose, so I kilted it up between my legs using the belt. After that I put my dressing gown back on and climbed out my window into the tree beside Dark.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him quietly.

"They don't want us to meet until our wedding day." Dark told me, just as quietly.

"What?" I was stunned. "What do they want? Me to faint when I see you?"

Dark snorted. "I doubt anything that pleasant."

I swore. "And, of course, because we're royalty-or will be, at any rate-I am expected to share my bed with you on our wedding night."

Dark smiled an un-humored smile. "Of course," was all he said.

I sighed. "Mordechai really _has _been gone too long, if he expects me to do this."

"I was never very clear on that," Dark commented dryly. "If your brother is the ruler, not you, than why did Zant 'overthrow' _you?"_

I wrinkled my nose. "because my brother is an idiot," I said bluntly, "my family is really new dynasty. It was my great-grandfather who overthrew Zant's family to become king. My father thought this was a mistake, and invited them back from exile. He also gave away large chunks of land to our neighbors, buying alliences. Mordechai sees this as a massive blunder. So, of course, he's always out getting back that land-usually by force- and more with it. Leaving me in charge of things here at home."

"So when he found out that Zant cursed you..."

"He took it as a sign of my female weakness. Which is why you're here." I alsmot said "which is how we landed in this whole mess" but I thought Dark might take that as an insult. I sighed, looking up at the sky. "I hate politics," I muttered. He nodded. "Me too," he admitted.

We sat in silence awhile, stargazing. About half an hour or so later, I noticed that the sols were beginning to brighten again. Dark must have noticed too, because he reached over, pressing his lips against mine.

It wasn't like he was squashing my lips, but it wasn't a quick peck of a kiss either. His lips rested against mine, and I began to grow bright violet, before he pulled away, and, laughing slipped down the tree.

Dark was right. Until our wedding day, the only time we saw each other was when he appeared outside my window in the night. Once, a few months after we met and a week before our wedding, I decided to surprise him by showing up at _his _window instead. The look on his face when he saw me poking my head into his window was priceless.

When we got married, we were 'introduced' the day before.

"Midna," my mother toled me. "This is-"

"Itzal Dark, my future husband. We met three months ago." after saying this, Dark and I both laughed ourselves silly at the look on my mother's face.

**a/n: wow, I put in midlink. Totally unexpected.**


	13. Tetra X Link

**Tetra X Link chapter, written by Vopi**

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><p>Beneath the Moon<p>

The ship plodded along steadily along over the Great Sea. The crew and its captain looked out over the endless expanse of water surrounding them in all directions; there was no sign of land anywhere in sight. Nonetheless, Senza faithfully guided the ship over the gentle waves of the vast ocean, keeping steady on course to an unknown destination.

The ship was alive with activity as everyone went through their daily chores. Tetra walked confidently among her crew ensuring everything was orderly, barking orders when necessary. Zuko kept his signature position as lookout on the crow's nest. Senza manned the helm. Nudge stood guard over the captain's room as always, while Mako took inventory of their food and supplies. Gonzo busied himself preparing lunch for the crew, and Niko complained in the corner as he washed every piece of dirty pirate clothing on the ship. Everyone was doing their role to some degree, but someone still seemed to be missing.

Tetra smirked as she heard the stomping of someone rushing up from below deck. The cabin door swung open and a certain blonde young man burst outside. His wide eyes betrayed his panic.

"Hey, Zelda, have you seen my telescope? You know…the one Aryll gave me?"

Tetra folded her hands and lowered her brows. "I told you not to call me that."

Link's face reddened. "Oh right, sorry Tetra. I keep forgetting."

The pirate captain just sighed. "Whatever." She shrugged her shoulders. "What makes you think I'd know where you put your stuff? Did you ask the rest of the crew?"

Link's voice softened. "Well…no."

She rolled her eyes. "Then how about you ask them first? It's not my job to babysit your stuff. Who knows…maybe Niko mixed it in with the dirty laundry."

Link's eyes widened with horror. The captain had to stifle a chuckle. His face was always so expressive.

"Oh Goddesses! I hope not! I better go check." The hero of winds quickly replied. He turned in Niko's direction.

Tetra grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around before he got too far. "Not so fast." She handed him a mop leaning against the cabin. "You still haven't swabbed the decks."

The hero's face soured. "Oh come on, Tetra, I just did it yesterday."

She crossed her arms. "Am I the captain or are you?"

"You are," he replied, making no effort to hide his annoyance. He yanked the mop from her and began searching for a bucket.

She punched him playfully on the shoulder and smirked. "Good. I'm glad we're clear on that. Maybe when we start calling you Captain Link, then you can make Niko do all your chores."

He leaned on his mop and looked at her through slitted eyes. "And what are you going to do?"

She shrugged her shoulders and laughed. "Important pirate stuff. Now start swabbing if you want to find that telescope." The pirate captain left him, humming some strange tune as she headed towards her quarters. Link waited until the door shut behind her before voicing his discontent.

"I will never understand that woman," the hero of winds sighed as he scanned the deck of the ship for a suitable bucket. He could hear Niko's grumbling a short ways away so he walked over to pay a visit.

The lowly pirate's face and clothes were soaked full of suds as he grudgingly dunked a pair of Gonzo's shorts in and out of the bucket. He turned them over to examine them, throwing the shorts into a large pile to his side when he was satisfied. He reached for another one but looked up when he heard Link approaching.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite swabbie? Come to help me out?" Niko said excitedly as he tossed him one of Zuko's dirty shorts. Link sidestepped and let the dirty laundry land behind him, deflating some of the underling's previous excitement. "Guess not, huh?"

Link chuckled to himself. "Sorry Niko, Tetra's having me swab the decks again."

Niko sighed and looked despondently at the looming pile he still had to wash. "Well, wanna' trade jobs?"

The hero's face grimaced. "No, I think I'll keep mine. I was just wondering if you were done using the bucket."

The pirate swabbie pushed the pale full of suds towards him. "Go ahead. I could use a break anyways."

Soapy water splashed out of the container as Link grabbed it by the handle. He was about to lift it when something else struck his mind. "Say, Niko, have you seen my telescope anywhere? It didn't get mixed in with the pile, did it?"

"I don't know, swabbie. But feel free to check for yourself."

The hero's face soured. "I think I'll take your word for it. I'll return the bucket when I'm done."

"Say swabbie," Niko called out. Link turned around to respond. "Why do you get such special treatment? I've been here longer than you and I'm still at the bottom of the ladder."

Link shrugged his shoulders and smiled innocently. "I'm not the one who gave away the bait bag and the ship's supply of bombs."

Niko occupied himself by pretending to dry some clothes. "Oh right. I forgot about that."

The hero chuckled to himself and carried the bucket to his station. He'd done this job so many times that he knew he'd be finished in no time. As he dipped the mop into the bucket and spread the soapy liquid across the floor, the hero contented himself to listen to the rhythmic slapping of the ocean waves against the hull of the ship. Gulls cried out from the sky as he worked, circling around the ship from the lofty sky. The sun warmed the skin beneath his hero's tunic. He took off the cap and let the wind ruffle his scraggly hair. He inhaled the smell of salt with a deep breath and let out a contented sigh. As much as he complained about this job, it really wasn't that bad.

After an hour, he beamed proudly at the finished product. The wood was shiny enough to reflect the bright rays of the noon sun overhead.

Link had just finished returning the bucket to Niko when the cabin door burst open. Charging through the opening with lunch in hand was none other than Gonzo. The two collided, but the mass of the more experienced pirate sent the hero to the ground. The plates nearly came out of Gonzo's hands, but some fancy handwork and quick balancing saved them.

"Hey Shrimp! Why don't you watch where you're going, yeah? I nearly dropped the food 'cause of you." Gonzo glared at him.

Link quickly jumped to his feet. "Sorry Gonzo, didn't expect you to come out so fast. I was just looking for my telescope. Have you seen it?"

Gonzo checked the sandwiches quickly to ensure they were unaffected. "How would I know? Did you ask Miss Tetra?"

Link shook his head. "She didn't have time."

Gonzo lowered a plate towards Link. "And neither do I. Now take a sandwich already. Others are waiting for food, yeah?"

"Gonzo, what's going on out here? What's with all the noise?" Tetra's voice called out from inside the cabin. She quickly came out, crossing her arms with an expectant gaze at the two before her.

"Oh, Miss Tetra, nothing happened. This shrimp nearly made me lose all our lunch." Gonzo quickly said, his cheeks turning a hint of red and his gaze directing to the ground. "But I saved it, yeah."

Link shrugged his shoulders. "It was an accident."

Tetra sighed. "You know, Gonzo, Link does have a name. You might want to start using it since he _is_ part of our crew." She eyed the sandwiches. "Now give me something to eat. I'm famished."

Gonzo snapped back to reality and quickly lowered the plate so it was eye level for her. "I used the best spices I could find on the ship, Miss Tetra. I know you'll like them."

The ship captain eyed the plate until she spotted a few that caught her fancy. She quickly stuffed one in her mouth and kept another in her hand for later. Gonzo and Link watched in astonishment as she scarfed down her first sandwich whole.

"These _are_ good, Gonzo." Tetra complimented, quickly licking her fingers. "Has the rest of the crew been fed?"

The large man shook his head. "Not yet, Miss Tetra."

"Then you should probably go do that," she suggested. Her first mate quickly nodded and took off for another part of the ship. Tetra turned her attention to Link, who was savoring the taste of his sandwich with smaller nibbles.

"So Link, I'm guessing you finished swabbing duty if you're just standing there. Any luck finding your telescope?"

The hero slowly shook his head. "Not yet. Why? Did you find it?"

The pirate captain smirked. "Well, actually, I was thinking of putting you on watch duty tonight, so you'll probably need it." She paused. "You can always ask Zuko to borrow his, but I doubt you'll get very far."

The hero's eyes widened. "Watch duty? But I've never done that before. Why me?"

Tetra folded her arms and leaned to the side. "Well, Zuko needs sleep, and I'm not going to do it." She smirked. "I guess if you're too scared, I can always have Niko do it. I just thought you would enjoy the adventure."

Link scowled at her. "Fine, I'll do it."

She gave him one of her signature winks. "Thanks for volunteering. Good luck finding your telescope."

The pirate took a bite of her other sandwich and ducked back into the main cabin. Link curled his hand into a fist to vent his growing frustration. Under normal circumstances, the request wouldn't bother him. However, Aryll's telescope meant a lot to him, and Tetra was making the situation more difficult than it needed to be.

The hero took a deep breath and let his frustration pass. His fingers slowly loosened as he looked to the crow's nest where Zuko made his home. As he thought about Tetra's suggestion, he decided it was worth a try.

A few minutes and several ladder rungs later, Link found himself atop the crow's nest in Zuko's domain. The wind was stronger up there, and he had to hold onto his hat to prevent from losing it. The watchman didn't even seem to notice his presence as he stared out into the horizon through his telescope.

"Nice view out here, isn't it?" Link ventured.

"Yah," the short man answered, not breaking his staring contest with the ocean.

"That telescope must really come in handy."

"Yup."

Link fumbled with his hands for a bit. The watchman hadn't even turned to look at him. Maybe he was wasting his time…but he had to try.

"Say Zuko…"

"Yah?"

"Do you think I could borrow your telescope tonight? For watch duty?"

"Nope." Not even a slight pause.

"Are you sure?"

"Yup."

"Okay. Thanks anyways," Link said as he began to climb down the ladder. "I guess I'll just try and find mine."

"Yup."

* * *

><p>Link found himself atop the crow's nest again only a few hours later when the sun finally retreated beneath the horizon and the moon took its place in the heavens. The cool night air combined with the stronger wind chilled his skin, so he brought a small blanket with him to keep warm for the night. He was amazed at how peaceful and quiet it was alone up there. The rhythmic groaning of the ship and the splashing of the waves against the side of the boat provided a stark contrast to the shouting of the crew during the day. The pale, full moon provided ample light for him to see. The lunar radiance sparkled over the now dark ocean, providing the hero an eerie but mysteriously beautiful spectacle to behold. He didn't seem to notice the wind toying with his widow's peak. It tugged and pulled, but the hair still remained firmly attached to the Hylian's head.<p>

"Wish I had my telescope to enjoy this," the hero lamented as he leaned against the railing and stared out towards the endless waters.

Despite his best efforts, no one seemed to know where it was. He had searched every corner of the ship he could and asked the entire crew. The hero tried to prevent himself from dwelling on the loss. Still, it was the last memento he had of Outset.

Link's ears perked as he heard the soft thumping of wood. Someone was climbing the ladder. But who? He shifted his position to get a better look.

Before long, Tetra's head peeked up from the top of the ladder. Her lips curled into an amused grin when she saw the surprise on the hero's face. "Hoy Link. You're not sleeping on the job, are you?"

The hero rolled his eyes and turned back to look at the ocean. "No, Tetra. Why? Are you here to give me more work?"

The pirate captain hoisted herself onto the crow's nest. "Actually, I came to bring you a present." She held out something in her hands. "Looking for this?"

Link turned his head to look and his eyes widened. "My telescope!" He grasped for it but Tetra pulled her hand away. "Where did you find it?"

She exaggerated the motion of shrugging her shoulders. "It was lying somewhere around the ship. I don't really remember where…I just picked it up." She tapped her chin pensively with her free hand. "You know…it could be considered _mine_ since I did find it on _my_ ship."

The hero glared at her. "Tetra!"

The pirate captain folded her arms and winked at him. "Relax. I'm just kidding." She offered the telescope to him again. He hesitated for a moment before finally accepting it from her.

Link rotated the device in his hands. "Say, Tetra, why are you out here so late anyways? I thought you said you wanted sleep."

The wind was starting to affect the pirate so she held her arms close to her body. She began to shiver ever so slightly. "Well, I tried but I couldn't really fall asleep. I knew you were out here so I figured you'd want some company. But I can see when I'm not wanted." Tetra began to head for the ladder. She hid a sly smile when Link called after her.

"Wait…Tetra. I didn't mean it like that." She could hear the hesitation in his voice as he selected his words carefully. If only she could see the uncertainty in his expression. "I guess some company would be nice."

She turned around and smirked at him. "Will you let me use your telescope?"

Link quickly clutched the telescope close to his chest but smirked nonetheless. "Only if you promise to give it back."

She pretended to deliberate. "Let me think about it and I'll get back to you."

Link chuckled and finally extended the telescope to its full length. When he put it to his eye, the entire horizon came alive. As he looked to the sky, layers upon layers of stars surfaced that he couldn't see before. It was like looking into a collage of tiny white pearls placed in a deep ocean of blue. The sight truly made him fall and insignificant.

Tetra walked up and leaned against the railing beside him. She had to smile to herself as she observed the way the hero handled the telescope like a small and delicate animal.

"You ever stargaze, Tetra?" Link asked as the starry night sky continued to fascinate him.

The pirate captain raised her brows. "You kidding me? All the time. How do you think we navigate?"

Link shrugged his shoulders. "But just for fun?"

This time her response was a little slower. Her eyes dropped to the ground. "Well, not as much. I mean…pirates don't really do stuff like that."

The hero offered her the telescope. "Well, there's a first time for everything. See if can find the constellation that looks like a Bic Octo."

She looked at his offer hesitantly. Her hand slowly reached for it but then paused midair. Link nodded in encouragement, and her confident demeanor returned. She swiped it from his hand and placed the lens in front of her eye. "I'll find it faster than you."

They quickly lost track of time as the evening wind carried their laughter over the waters. The pair took turns identifying known constellations in the sky and imagining new ones. One looked like a rough outline of Gonzo, while another looked like the incredibly weird fish man, and one even resembled the legendary Hero of Time himself as they had seen depicted in the statue beneath the waves. After a while, they sat on the wooden nest to relieve their weary feet. They sat in silence for several moments until Tetra began to shiver from the chilly gusts of wind blowing by the crow's nest.

Link unwrapped the blanket he'd been using and draped it over her shoulders. "There. That should help."

She looked at him in surprise. "But what about you?"

The hero shrugged his shoulders. "I've had it long enough." He beamed innocently. "I would've given it up sooner had I known you needed it."

Her face scrunched into a pout. "I never said I needed it." She slowly dropped her gaze to her knees and let a soft smile curl onto her lips. "But I do appreciate the gesture."

The two gazed at the luminescent orb hanging in the sky. Its radiance seemed more intense than they remembered, but its beauty was mesmerizing. The moon's silver light combined with the rhythmic crashing of the wave was truly trance inducing.

"Link?" Tetra's voice broke the silence.

"Yah?" The hero responded cheerfully.

There was silence again for a moment. Link looked at the bundle wrapped in the blanket beside him and thought he detected a hint of fear in those bright blue eyes of hers. Only the soft howling of the wind dared disturb the tense silence.

"What if we don't find a new Hyrule? What if all our efforts are for nothing?" She said at last.

Link smiled at her for encouragement. "We'll find it. I'm positive."

The pirate captain shook her head. She hugged her knees to her chest. "But how long have we been looking? A year? Maybe longer? And we still haven't found anything close."

The hero tilted his head to the side. "This is unlike you, Tetra. Where's that spark of confidence you always have?"

Tetra laughed to herself. "A captain's gotta look confident and decisive for her crew. To be honest, I wish I had more for myself."

Link began to shiver a little from the night wind. He wrapped his arms around his torso but smiled at her nonetheless. "Well, if it means anything, you're one of the bravest people I know. Brave enough to stand against Ganondorf. To lead a band of pirates by yourself. To explore the unknown in search of a new land we can call home."

The pirate captain winked at him. "Well, you're no coward yourself. How many can say they saved the world? Before the age of fourteen I might add."

The hero smiled bashfully, his cheeks colored with a hue of red. "Yah, I guess when you put it that way." He brought his own knees close to his chest to keep warm.

Tetra looked at him with concern. "Link, your lips are turning blue. Why didn't you say you were getting cold?"

He laughed the comment off. "Because I wanted you to keep the blanket."

Tetra rolled her eyes. "Always have to play the hero, don't you?" Tetra repositioned the blanket so she only occupied half of it. "Well, there's no reason we can't share it. It's plenty big enough."

The hero of winds looked at her hesitantly. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yah. It's not like you're sick or anything."

Link nodded and crawled over. As he wrapped himself with the other half of the blanket, his shoulder pressed gently against Tetra's. The two looked at each other and shared an awkward laugh. Though he would never say it, the warmth of her skin against his made him feel secure. As the hero closed his eyes and felt the soft expansion and contraction of her breathing pressing against his arm, he felt a strange tingle of excitement. The strange combination of salt and perfume emanating from her hair caught his nose and sent tickles down his spine. Whatever this feeling was…he liked it.

"Well, actually Tetra, I think I'm allergic to hard work." He said quickly to break the silence.

The pirate grunted jokingly. "Well, no surprise there. Sometimes I think you're lazier than Niko."

Link chuckled to himself. "Come on. I'm not that bad."

Tetra smirked at him. "I suppose not. At least you get your work done. There's still a pile of dirty clothes on the deck."

The hero whistled innocently. "Well, I did borrow his bucket for a bit. I guess he took an extended break."

The pirate rolled her eyes. "And he wonders why I make him watch the ship when we go into town."

The hero laughed. "He never learns."

Tetra smiled and closed her eyes to take in the moment. The hero smelled a lot like the ship mixed with a bit of soap, but she didn't mind. She even found it a bit cute. As the crash of the waves echoed softly in her ears, she unwittingly leaned closer into Link's side. The warmth of his touch made all of her fears and uncertainties seem a distant nightmare. As his arm wrapped around her shoulders, it felt only natural to rest her head on his shoulder. So comfortable.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the boy from Outset beside her. He stared pensively at the moon, as if lost in another world entirely.

"What ya' thinking about?" she asked.

Link laughed softly. "Not much, really. I was just looking at the moon. It's so peaceful."

"Oh yah?" she asked quietly.

The hero nodded. "Yah. It reminds me of a guy I met in my travels a while back. His name was Kamo. He used to stare at the moon all the time."

"That's weird. How come?"

Link closed his eyes as he tried to reach deep into the vaults of his memory. Tetra's hair brushed softly against his cheek, causing him to focus half-heartedly. "I don't really remember that well. Something to do with his best friend. Maybe she stole his bacon or something."

Tetra lifted her head to look at Link. "Wow. You certainly seem to meet strange people."

Link looked at her. "Like you?"

The captain smirked back. "It takes one to know one."

"Well, then I guess I know you pretty well," the hero replied.

Tetra grunted and rested her head on Link's shoulder again. The hero leaned his head against hers and there the two stayed in silence. He looked out to the moon and watched a few small clouds float lazily by. A clear night sky was always a sight to behold, and this night seemed even more dazzling than usual. As the hero closed his eyes and listened, he could hear Tetra's soft and steady breathing. Had she fallen asleep?

Link smiled to himself. Part of him just wanted to let her stay where she was, to prolong the moment for all it was worth. She looked so peaceful with her eyes closed and her breathing soft. The strong-willed captain that commanded the respect of crew members double her size was vulnerable and defenseless, even if only for a moment.

Link softly lifted his shoulder and ran his fingers through her hair. "Hey. Tetra."

The pirate woke up groggy and confused. "Wait? What?" She slowly ifted her head off his shoulder and looked at him. Her eyes were only half-open. "Oh, it's you, Link. What happened?"

The hero couldn't hide his smile. "You fell asleep."

The words seemed to startle her awake. Her eyes widened and she jolted up. "Oh…I didn't mean to. Sorry about that." She pushed the blanket off her and jumped to her feet. She stretched her arms out and groaned from the stiffness of her body. "Well, I guess it's about time for me to turn in for the night."

The hero stayed where he was with the blanket on his lap and the telescope at his side. "Yah, probably a good idea. You'll need rest for tomorrow. I don't think I have too much longer here anyways."

Tetra grabbed the top of the ladder and descended the first step. She smiled warmly at him. "Thanks for everything, Link. I don't think I've laughed this much in a while."

Link returned the smile. "Yah, me too. I had a blast. Who would've thought the night shift could be so much fun?"

The captain winked at him. "It's all about who you're with." She descended another step. "Well, I'm off. Don't fall asleep up there."

Link mock saluted. "Yes, Captain. I'll try not."

Her head dipped below the crow's nest and Link turned to grab his telescope. He was about to look through it when her face popped back up again.

"Oh, Link. I forgot to mention…nothing that happened tonight gets mentioned to the rest of the crew." Her eyes narrowed. "Understood?"

He turned towards her with a mischievous smirk. "What's the worst you can do to me?"

She tapped her temple as she thought for a moment. At last, a malevolent smile jumped on her lips. "Well, you can always go in the catapult again. I remember how much you _loved _that."

The hero's face grimaced as the painful memories cycled through his mind. "On second thought, maybe I won't say anything."

Tetra beamed triumphantly. "I knew you'd see it my way. I'll see you next time."

_Next time?_

Before the hero could ask what she meant, the pirate was already halfway way down the ladder. She didn't have to look up to imagine the priceless look of confusion that was probably plastered to that expressive face of his. She had already seen it many times before.

She reached the main deck and walked through the door into the cabin. She passed through the unguarded door to her room and slipped into her comfortable bed without even taking off her shoes. A smile crept on her lips as she reflected on earlier that night. It had gone so much better than expected. She pulled her covers over her and turned on her side. The blankets muffled her quiet chuckle.

She wondered how long it would take Link to figure out that she had stolen his telescope.


	14. Hena X Link

**Hena X Link chapter, written by msfcatlover**

* * *

><p>Every day. Every day he came and took a boat out. Sometimes he'd bring back a fish or two, but mostly he just sat there and stared at the water.<p>

And Hena'd watch.

She'd asked around. The sweet boy who came and fished had as many stories and good deeds as he had admirers, and that was not a small number. And one that had increased a bit recently, she could tell.

She did have the feeling he was in mourning. Something had happened that no one had seen, and it had shattered that innocent heart of his. So she kept the fluttering beat her heart took on whenever he was there a secret. _Let him mourn,_ she told herself as she stared out the window at his hunched figure, _right now, the last thing he needs is another fangirl._

And so she kept quiet.

-S-

Every day. Every day he sat out on that lake. Sat and stared and wished he could forget.

He knew she watched.

She watched and worried about the boy who'd been her friend. Who'd come and gone during his adventure, happy, joking. But ever since the mirror broke… he didn't have a purpose. There were no duties he was shirking to come here and fish. No Midna silently fuming at how carefree he managed to act.

Midna… She was a great friend. Had she been something more? He still couldn't figure that out. _Maybe,_ he thought with a sigh. _I should probably talk to someone about it all… but who could I unload that burden on?_

And so he kept quiet.

-S-

Hena sighed as he paddled his boat to the edge of the lake, forcing her to return to her post behind the counter. He tried to smile as he handed over two tiny trout. He failed.

Dumping the fish into the tank, Hena tried to find their old connection. "Hey, aren't you ever going to try out that game? I just got a new level for it, but you have to work your way up, you know."

He blinked. "I…guess?"

"Here." She thrust the first level, the one he'd tried twice and given up on, into his hands. "Occupy yourself. It'll be good for you."

_Occupy…_ wasn't that just what he'd needed? Something to focus on, a goal? Without knowing it, Hena had given Link the first real step towards recovery.

He smiled again.

This time he succeeded.

-S-

Hena laughed when he cheered, showing that he'd completed another level. Ever since he'd started playing, he'd been more like his old self. More cheerful, enthusiastic. It was good to see him smile again.

"Careful there!" she joked, watching him shoot off the bench to come beg her for the next level, "You'll break the pots. Those cost money, you know!"

"I could pay you back," he responded, picking u the next board.

"I know. Maybe I should charge you for those games; I'd certainly pull in a larger profit than I am with the fishing hole."

He paused, letting that sink in. "You don't make a lot?"

She sighed. "It was a joke… but no. You're really my only customer." Then, with a frown, "But I don't want any charity, mind you!"

He nodded slowly, taking in the information. And trying to figure out how to help without it being obvious.

_I have a new goal._

-S-

She could never figure out how he did it, but suddenly there were many people stopping in for a quick spin around the lake and "maybe some fishing. While I'm here." Hena just _knew_ he was behind it, but she could not see _how_. And everyday he sat on the bench and played the game. Looking very smug.

_At least he's happy,_ she told herself.

-S-

"What's next?"

She gave him a sad little smile. "Sorry, Link, that's the last level. I don't have any more."

He felt the void begin to open up again. "Really?"

Hena nodded. "Really."

"But…but…then what do I do?"

She pulled up her courage and reached out to gently touch his cheek. "Fish. Make friends. Heal. Be happy. You're good at that."

He blinked, remembering another, tinier hand that had touched his cheek in much the same way. Another girl he'd known too well to see clearly, until it was too late.

He swallowed, and she quickly pulled her hand away. "You're good at lots of things, Link," She continued, as though nothing had happened. "You just need to let yourself see them."

"And…you?"

She laughed. "I'm good at fishing. I like to think I'm a good friend. I'll always be here if you need me at all during your travels."

He nodded slowly, trying to sort out his thoughts. That night, when he went to bed, he was still confused. But one thing stood out.

_Hena's hand had been warmer._


	15. Aveil X Link

**Link X Aveil chapter, written by world-needs-peace**

* * *

><p>AN: Behold the result of getting back to my roots after a sappy, serious, tragic romance. Does contain glossed over sexual themes and very mild swearing. Read at your own risk.

**Men in Tights**

"Nabooru," Link murmured to the Gerudo woman sitting on his right, "What's the name of that instrument?"

"Which one?" She followed his eyes to the small band of musicians.

"The one Gatemu is playing."

"A Ney," she answered. "It's made from reed."

Which meant it was not easy to obtain, and most likely stolen from a neighboring country, since there was not enough standing water to grow them anywhere in Hyrule, he deciphered, and sat back in his spot. He could only imagine how much breath control she needed to master the octave switches. Maybe he could ask for a few lessons.

"Would you prefer if she was the one dancing?"

Link snapped forward to meet the glowering eyes of the intended performer. Literally every single pair of eyes honed in, making him aware once again how hot the desert was. The music teetered off abruptly, making him feel dramatically more awkward in the sudden quiet. He straightened guiltily and swallowed nervously.

"No, I just got distracted."

The yellowed eyelids lowered very slightly, and the leer actually intensified. "Didn't mean to bore you. Maybe I should save us all the trouble and consider the membership revoked."

"No!" he said quickly, "No, I'm sorry, I really am, I'll pay attention this time."

Link's acute hearing picked up the occasional giggle and chuckle at his expense, and his face flushed in humiliation. The dancer's eyes narrowed in suspicion over the cloth of her mask, before turning away to return to the center of the ring. Navi sighed as he drummed his fingers against his thigh.

"They said you have to remember this," the fairy reminded quietly.

"I know," he murmured back, "And I'm really trying, but its... its gonna be a problem."

The dancer took her starting position again. When the music began anew, the fairy sighed quietly.

"Well, why stay anyway? We've already saved the Sage; we can go now."

Link swallowed nervously. He didn't have a reasonable answer for her.

"Well," Navi tried, "maybe you can... I dunno, control it? Try to concentrate on something else."

"_Navi_," he shot her a leer, "why do you think I was looking so hard at the musicians?"

A fair point.

"I don't think she'll be too pleased if you don't at least _try_ to pay attention," came an amused voice to his left.

He switched his attention to the Gerudo still in her guard uniform, like several others were, since the clothes were made for comfort. The problem was that with the mask, he could not tell who it was, even by the sound of her voice.

"Yeah, you're right," he crossed his legs and resigned to his fate.

Navi hovered onto his shoulder. She murmured into his ear. "It's been getting better though, right? Just get through the dance, and you'll be fine."

"I really wish it were that easy," he replied just as quietly.

He sensed staring, and glanced to the Gerudo to his left. She did not look away. Instead, her eyes sparked with a mischievous glint that made him think- not for the first time- that Gerudo women were mind readers. He made a cautious glance to Nabooru as well. She was smirking at him. He looked back to the dancing woman, cursing his bizarre and unfortunate ailment that prevented him from fully enjoying the spectacle, something that he did curse his adult body for.

The truth was, Link had a tendency to imagine girls without their clothes, but it wasn't on purpose! And he had never tried to make such a thing happen- it started at Kakariko and frustrated and aggravated him to no end. It was a mystery he could not solve. (This was an unfortunate oversight. The Great Deku Tree never dreamed the Blade of Evil's Bane would deem it necessary to place the child to sleep until adulthood, so never thought to inform the fairy of Hylian's form of growth.) Navi suggested he go to a Hylian doctor to identify the disease. There were two problems with this. One, whatever ailment this was, was triggered by thoughts. _Thoughts_. What sort of sickness had symptoms that began in the mind? It had to be a spell of some sort, not a sickness. Two...

… he would actually need to describe his symptoms. It was one thing to have to share with his guardian when she witnessed his changes right along with him, but to attempt to describe them to someone else was nerve wracking.

Link figured as long as he avoided thinking too hard about girls, then it wouldn't be a problem. It worked, except when in Kakariko. He was not sure what it was exactly that fascinated him. He figured it was the mystery of it all. It was hard to tell their shapes under the long frocks they wore. But then he met the Great Fairy again, and Ruto, and learned the basic shape of a woman's body. Instead of curbing his desires, they intensified it. It even happened with girls he was familiar with, which made him feel horribly guilty for subjecting them to his twisted mind, even if it was not on purpose.

This changed when he met the lawless and less clothed Gerudo tribe. (Especially considering the few times he was thrown in the high room. That alone let him feel free of accountability.)

The problem was they caught him staring a lot quicker than the Hylian girls did. He couldn't explain it, but whether it was an eyeroll, a raised eyebrow, a smirk, or even no reaction, he could not shake the feeling that they somehow knew he was doing something wrong. And the more time he spent with them, and the more challenges he completed, the more the younger ones _smirked_. And he had also come to see them less as "thieves" and more as women. At first the notion frightened and intimidated him. Then he reminded himself of what kind of people they were, and his feelings of guilt all but vanished. (He did not _steal_ Epona, blast it, he won her fair and square. Just because he jumped the fence did not make him illegal.)

There were even times he sensed eyes on him. He figured it was because he stood out so much. It sort of turned into a game, to see if they could catch each other staring. He wasn't sure why he did what he did, since he never did anything of the sort outside of the desert. Besides, they never _did_ anything, so he figured he imagined everything.

There was one snag to his "guilt-free staring", as he called it, that just made him more conflicted about the act. It was not just that he did not feel right in dragging her into whatever this had become; it was because he had not seen her since they first met. At least, not until this moment.

By now the sun had set. The gold on her shin guards, arm guards, lining on the hem of her pants, and the amber jewel on her forehead and in her hair glinted in the orange lambent of the bonfire, making her a dancing treasure in the night. And helped him recognize who she was, despite the fact she was wearing red and not blue. The cling of bells quieted until they were shy jingles, and the low tune of the ney had joined the music to settle the night. The melody melted to a deep, primal level that accentuated the sensuality, and made the traveler even more entranced. He had become so focused on her display that he did not even notice the other Gerudo watching his reaction eagerly. He was too busy imagining the mystery woman that was his exception.

This exception had granted him freedom of movement through her stronghold, had given him the priceless gift of trust and conversation for those few precious minutes, instead of calling him out and having him taken away, even when she had every right to. Despite the fact that she was practically a leader with a band of thieves, she gained his gratitude and respect, perhaps similar to how he gained hers.

But he could not know for sure. Since she made Link an honorary member, he had not seen her. The only connection he had to her was the little slip of paper she had given him that had protected him from being thrown out. Funny thing was, he could not read Gerudo, so he could not read the signature. And he felt embarrassed to ask anyone her name, because for the life of him, he could not remember what it was.

And through the bizarre perversion that was his mind, she was the subject of most of his mental undressings. It made almost as much to him as the rest of this ordeal. He supposed it was because she was the first Gerudo that he didn't try to snipe with his bow, and he had the chance to appreciate her appearance. Ultimately, he had come to compare the rest of the tribe with her. (He wondered briefly how Gannondorf could be so ugly compared to the rest of them. They were unusual, but not nearly as hideous.)

And it was worse because of this bloody "initiation ceremony". The dance was strange and beautiful, and mysterious- but the woman's _hands _kept making him think things he didn't want to. At first they just rested on her body a moment in whatever pose she had gone into, but then they lingered. Soon they moved across skin. Her fingers began to trace the gold hem along her waist, or brush across her collar bone to her shoulder. Then she would roll a hip or shoulder toward him, as though silent invitation. Or in a single move that he loved/hated, she would roll into an arch with her hands following the contours of her legs hips and belly. Inevitably, he started wondering what her hidden muscles looked like.

Then there was a burst of gossamer thread that surprised him. The pink ripples fluttered around her shadow with the beauty of a butterfly, and softened her frame. The gossamer thread was see through and caressed her body tantalizingly, and Link turned to his right, partially to regain his bearings.

"What is she dancing with?"

Nabooru's smiled in amusement. "A veil."

A veil. There was a nice ring to that. It sounded as mysterious as the object itself. Just the sound of the word "veil" seemed to match the imagery of the cloth bursting from nothing and arching through the air with its exotic grace. Sort of like the Gerudo guards themselves. It suited her perfectly. When he glanced back he noticed that she saw him again. Link rested his elbow on his knee and put his chin on his fist. His eyes raked her body with no more inhibitions and let himself focus on her completely. Her eyes peered at him under heavy lashes and matched the intensity of his gaze and continued to dance with her silent, fluttering veil. Oddly enough, his mouth began to water at the continuous site of the changing curves of her body. The mysterious yearn he felt grew stronger. He shifted his foot a bit in discomfort and looked down in fearful suspicion, then turned cold in terror. Without thinking he grabbed his hat and shoved it onto his lap. Another thing he hated about his ordeal was his outfit.

He really, really, REALLY hated tights.

Several giggles and snickers broke out around him. His face and ears burned red. The sound of footsteps made him snap up with wide guilty eyes.

"I swear I was paying attention."

"I could tell," The dancer replied. She seemed to be smiling under her mask. "Do you remember the dance?"

"It's hard to forget," he practically mumbled.

"Good," the dancer folded her veil and held it out to him. "Now you do it."

It went dead silent. They stared at each other again, but this time it was with expectancy and disbelief. The spectators watched intently for the next move.

"… You can't be serious!" Link finally yelled.

"Of course I'm serious," the dancer argued. "We told you it was an initiation."

"You didn't say I would be dancing!"

"What are you so upset about?" The dancer still seemed to be grinning. "Did you think we would let you go on a free ride? We can't consider you an honorary member if you don't pass _all_ of our tests. Not just archery or training."

"What does this have to do with thieving?" he shot back.

"If you're going to be Gerudo," she explained calmly, "then you need to know how to seduce your man."

"I don't want to seduce a man!"

He didn't even know what that meant; he just knew he wanted nothing to do with it, since it obviously had to do with dancing. There were more snickers now at his expense and he pointedly ignored them despite his blush.

"This is a _sisterhood_, Link. You can't pick and choose what you can and cannot do. Either dance, or get out. "

Now he was cornered. His anxious eyes switched from the veil to his hat, his worry increasing with each passing second. His finger tugged at the collar of his tunic as he started to sweat from all the stares. Sweet mercy, what was he going to do? Navi responded to his anxiety and flew up from his shoulder. She floated expectantly, silently asking what his choice would be. If he stood up, he would have to admit to everything. And that prospect terrified him more than anything.

"Wait a second," the guard to his left spoke up, "he shouldn't have to do this."

The rush of gratitude he felt was overwhelming. His sparkling blue eyes were wide and hopeful as he looked to her, wishing he could remember her name so he could thank her properly. The woman reached down into her lap and pulled out a bundle of green cloth.

"He's not even in uniform."

The sparkle died. There were giggles to go with the snickering now. He slowly took the bundle to stall.

"Isn't there another way I can do this?"

"Well you could always dance in your own clothes, but that looks difficult."

Not what he meant. Then he took a good look at what he was holding. The cloth was green. They had to have gone out of their way to get green dye in order to make this. Just for his sake. (He decided not to think of the obvious method.) He had to swallow again, this time from emotion. "… I don't know what to say."

"Well, you can figure that out later. Try them on."

He fumbled with the cloth, wondering self-consciously how he would look showing as much skin as them. Despite his nervous anxiety he found his curiosity rising. Navi neared them curiously as he picked up the first article of clothing. It looked like a headband but bigger, and was a little more than a hand width wide.

"What is this?"

"You can't tell? It's for your chest."

"But why is it so small?" A vest made more sense to him.

"Because you're not that well endowed, Link." She straightened, and arched her ribs to pop out her breasts. "Once you get these, then you can move up to the big girl gear."

At first his mind had to process the motion she just made. Then it had to process the implication of her statement. Then it finally processed what he was holding in his hand.

"WHAT THE HELL!" The laughter roared at his uncharacteristic outburst and the sight of his blooming red face. And him literally chucking the bundle back at her. "These are _women's_ clothes!"

She caught them unperturbed. "Well, we're a tribe of women," she said slowly, as though he was a dolt that could not figure it out sooner, "what else would we have?"

"But Gannondorf is a man!"

"Yes, and every hundred years we make men's clothes. He took them all with him when he left."

"But you made this! Why couldn't you have made it for a man?"

"I didn't make it for you, these are my clothes. I have an outfit in red, blue, and green."

He blinked, wondering how that could be when the only colors he saw were purple and white. Then his expression dawned in remembrance of the first meeting with his exception. "That's right, the clothes were blue that day…"

"What?" She raised an eyebrow. "No they weren't, they were red. You were the one wearing blue."

"But I know they were. I remember thinking how it was weird since none of the other Gerudo had that color. And that we were matching."

"Must be a glitch in your memory," she waved off. "Anyway, I'm guessing you don't like my offer?"

He clenched his jaw and leered as an answer.

"I'm hurt," she said, though her grin suggested she was anything but. She called out. "Well, girls, looks like he can't be one of us. No dance."

"Blast it!" Came Brudi's call from across the circle. "I wanted to see him dance!"

He blinked in surprise at the groans of disappointment that sprung up around him. Then he glanced around uncertainly and with bewilderment. Mercy, they made it sound like they wanted him to make a fool of himself –

"That's it!" he realized suddenly. "This was a joke!"

Some of the groans turned into laughter.

"I told you he would figure it out!"

He slapped his forehead with his hand and doubled over as the laughing sprung up around him. Etnio, who was sitting on Nabooru's other side, grinned over to him.

"Well congratulations, genius."

He glanced up under his hand and smiled her, but his smile was from relief not mirth. "I should have known better than to trust a bunch of thieves."

"Hey, this wasn't our idea," she defended, but with a smile that made him think it could have been, "it was all Aveil."

He blinked in confusion. "A veil?"

"That's right," the dancer suddenly said and finally pulled back her veil and pulled down her mask. "The very one who gave you your membership."

Nabooru's amusement made sense now. It was a name. The name of the very person he had been searching for. He looked at the face he could barely see. Then he frowned in wary recognition.

"Wait a second… You're not Aveil!"

"Did you think I was?"

"Your clothes…"

"I let her borrow them when she's dancing. They catch the light pretty nice, don't they?"

Link jumped and turned to the guard who had spoken. She pulled down her on mask, and he could clearly see the side of her grinning face in the fire light.

"I'm flattered you think I'm that talented but even I can't dance that well."

He paled at the second blunder he had made that night. "But- but I thought-" he looked between the dancer and the guard in confusion, then he looked at her. "Why did you do this?"

"To get you to relax. You've been way too tense lately. Plus we were bored."

He wanted to know which one was the main reason.

"Come on, didn't you enjoy yourself?"

"The dance was fun at least," Link looked to the dancer, "you're really good."

"I'd better be," was her gracious answer. "I finally managed to get _your_ attention."

He looked away guiltily. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

"Hmph." She turned and stalked away.

"Don't mind her, she'll get over it," Aveil brushed off. "She got you excited at least. Her ego is placated."

""Excited"?"

He wasn't sure if he would describe himself as excited, but if it made her feel better then he was fine with that.

"You don't think so?" she lifted her hand and pointed to his lap. "Then what are you hiding under your hat?"

"Nothing," and he smiled easily when he realized his problem was gone. He lifted his cap easily and put it back on his head. "I just got a little hot."

"I'm sure you did," Etnio said wryly.

"Really now?" Aveil placed a hand rather close to his head and leaned into his personal space. "Maybe we should warm you up again."

Oh mercy, she didn't know what she was saying!

"I…" he leaned away from her proximity, and avoided her eyes. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Are you sure?" her other and reached up and landed too close to his lap for his liking. "I think that it's a great idea. I personally like the idea of seeing you hot."

She liked him to suffer in the desert? What a weird woman. And close. So close he could easily yank her shirt up off like his fingers wished to do.

Oh no. This was bad. Very bad. It was getting worse.

"Look Aveil, I appreciate everything you've done." He scrambled to his feet. "But I really have to go now. There are things I have to do."

"And just where do you think you're going?" She stood right up with him and frowned at him. "You're just going to get up and go after everything we put through for you?"

He picked up his sword and shield without looking at her, or the other women staring expectantly at him. He hated going like this, but now his mental crimes reared back at him with a vengeance. He would rather leave with them thinking of him just as ungrateful then have them know the truth. He settled everything back on, and faced her a moment before turning away to look at the path that would eventually lead him to the bridge.

"I'm sorry, everyone." He finally said. "But I can't really stay-"

"Hold it right there."

The sharp edge of her voice froze him. He wondered briefly if he could outrun her.

"You don't think we haven't noticed the stares? Why are you acting so bloody shy about it now?"

Of course they noticed. His stupid "game" had now just royally screwed him over.

"You know, I had almost thought you were interested in me, since you seemed to like the idea of me dancing. But now you're running away. Are you still afraid of those rumors about us, or what?"

"No!" he assured quickly, and turned to look back at her. "I'm not, really. I know that you're not scary people."

"Then what's your deal?" She crossed her arms, and her leer hardened. "Do you want me, or not?"

"Want". Why did she have to put it like that? What was she talking about? She must have meant "want to see me" or something. Yet now that the word was in his head, he couldn't let it go, because it somehow fit the mysterious yearning perfectly. He _wanted_ Aveil, but blast it, in this case it was a bad thing!

"I do, I want to see you, but,-"

"Spit it out!" she finally barked. "Why are you hesitating?"

"Because I like to imagine you with your clothes off!"

"_Link_!"

His hand slapped to his mouth just as Navi jingled in alarm. Why did he have to talk? He wished he was mute. Or that people thought he was mute. The less he talked the better.

He was so horrified and frozen in wait of her no doubt alarmed and disgusted reaction that he didn't notice the watching Gerudo holding their hands to their mouths, or biting their lips, or their looks of skeptical incredulity. Were all Hylian men really this daft at this age, or was it just him? Oh this was just perfect. So much for that "promising, strapping young man" Aveil had been lusting after. Her staring had gotten so bad that he was more jumpy than normal, talking to all of them to find the source. To think he turned out like this. Oh, the irony was just too much.

Link should have been grateful when he saw the woman's leer dissolve, but Aveil's expression was completely neutral. It was calm, cool, collected, and didn't seem to sway from middle ground. It actually scared him more.

"Really?" Her neutral stare remained in place. "That's funny, because I like to imagine you with _your_ clothes off."

He gawked at her, stunned at the blatant, nonchalant admittance. Then, like the sun coming out from the clouds, his hand lowered as his hope rose with a smile.

"You do? Really? Then, I'm not the only one? That's great!"

There was another round of snickering that dampened his excitement, but she only nodded slowly once.

"So, since you like to imagine me without my clothes, and I like to imagine you without your clothes, what do you think we should do about it?"

"Um..." The smile turned sheepish. "Talk to each other like good adults and come to a mutual understanding?"

She twitched. "How about, we take each _other's_ clothes off."

His eyes widened at the prospect, and his voice lowered.

"You mean we can _do_ that?"

Her jaw was now developing a tic as she crossed her arms and leered at him, while her sisters snickered with trying to hold back their laughter.

"Well, when a woman goes out of her way to turn a man on, what do you think she's trying to _do_?"

The Hylian, and little fairy took one confused look at each other. "'Turn on'? Like a switch? Why would he be off in the first place? Was he hiding something?"

"Oh!" Link snapped his fingers, since he was actually quite good with riddles. "She's trying to find his hidden treasure chest!"

* * *

><p>"Oh come on, Aveil! I was kidding!" He yelled at her tent flap. "Please come out! Can't we talk about this?"<p>

This time, none of the women tried to hold back their laughter as he pleaded at the large tent at the end of the sleeping quarters. What he did not know was that those tents were reserved for nighttime activities. Or really, they could be day time as well, no one was picky. It seemed Aveil was considering it, but was a little too ticked off to begin right away. Not that they could blame her.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," Link was practically begging. "I'm just new to this whole thing and don't really know how I'm supposed to do this." He knocked insistently at the tent pole as his embarrassment grew at the spectators. "Give me another chance! I'll let you take my clothes off first-"

The magic words summoned her hand from the flaps, grabbed the front of his tunic, and yanked him inside with a yelp. Navi was kicked out about ten seconds later to find Nabooru and Etnio to find out just what the hell was going on.

Luckily for Link, Aveil was a patient, and compassionate teacher. And she was so horny it hurt. The confused Hylian no longer held any resentment for his body's reactions, but that didn't change the fact that he was definitely going to wear pants the next time he went around to save the world. He still _really_ hated tights. (Making everyone think he was mute might have some benefits too.)


	16. Medli X Link

**Medli X Link chapter, written by TwilightWakerofTime**

* * *

><p><span>Duty before Love<span>

How had it come to this?

Her heart pounding, she leaned against the boss room's door, wincing as she heard another crash. Oh, great spirits of water and sky… please let him be all right…

Sighing, Medli turned around again, slumping against the cold, locked door of the Earth Temple. Of her temple. Even if she lacked their memories, ever since Laruto awakened her she could sense the presence of her ancestors, the deceased Sages that once empowered the Master Sword. She was left to take their place, to guard the temple and aid the Hero.

It wasn't the aiding the Hero part that she found hard – she'd just gone through an entire temple with him, flying to places too high to reach and breaking barriers with her harp's song when necessary. No, it was the guarding part that worried her.

Would she be… stuck here?

Would she not be allowed to go with him? With Link?

The ground shook again as something heavy hit the wall hard. She took in a sharp breath, then exhaled slowly, silently chiding herself for being so jumpy. _He'll be fine. He's the Chosen Hero. He'll be fine._

Another thud. _He doesn't sound fine…_

_Stop it! _She shook her head. This was crazy! She was sitting here, moping and fretting while Link risked his life. It was unfair. Why couldn't she have gone instead? At the least he could have let her in the room with him! But, no; apparently as the Sage of Earth, she was too precious to risk getting harmed. And… with the pleading look he gave her when he asked Medli to stay behind… she just couldn't say no. But surely there had to be some way she could have helped. Didn't she possess some kind of special powers as a Sage? Something… anything could have helped him…

Desperate to distract herself, Medli thought about her home on Dragon Roost Island. Unfortunately, it only brought up painful memories. She still didn't know if she'd be able to go back there. She might never see Quill or Komali again.

For some reason, she began to think of the first time she met Link. He was the youngest human she'd ever met. Everyone else that came to Dragon Roost from the outside were sailors, older men usually from Windfall, and she wasn't old enough to leave the island on her own yet (which reminded her – she would be in _so_ much trouble when she got back home). So she'd never seen a boy his age out alone on the sea. Hoping for some kind of assistance from this boy, she asked for his help to get into Dragon Roost Cavern. Then she'd been captured. She'd really thought that was the end… but then he'd saved her!

And now he was fighting for the Great Sea – for her life and everyone else's. And she was stuck out here, possibly with no way to ever return home.

She closed her eyes. She had to stop being so negative.

It was then that Medli noticed something odd. Something had changed in the room. Something felt… different…

Her eyes shot opened as she realized what it was. The sounds of battle from inside the boss room – they'd stopped!

She pressed her hands against the door, pushing with all her might, hoping it would open. But it was no use. The door was securely locked. She held her breath. No! That couldn't mean… Link hadn't failed… had he?

And suddenly, the door slid open.

With a small cry of surprise at the unexpected lack of support, she stumbled forward –

– right into the arms of someone standing there.

Link blinked down in surprise at the Rito girl. He opened his mouth to say something, but Medli seized him in a tight hug and released a soft sob.

"Oh, gods! You're here… okay… and you… I was… I couldn't… you weren't… you left me here!"

He let out a sound between a sigh of relief and a groan. "Medli… it's great to see you, but you're hurting me."

"Oh!" She quickly pulled away, for the first time noticing the state he was in. There were multiple scratches on his arms and strange blackened marks on his green tunic – singe marks? Were those from fire? Great Valoo, what had happened during that battle? "I'm so sorry. I wasn't… I didn't… I'm just glad that you… you're… I… and I…"

"Medli," he said gently. "You're stammering."

She brought a hand up to cover her mouth, which had made an 'o' of shock. "You're right! I'm sorry! I don't mean to. I only–"

Link grinned at her. "It's okay. But we need to restore the power to repel evil to the Master Sword now. We'll have to play that song one more time."

She closed her eyes and nodded. "Of course." Her duty as a Sage needed to come before her feelings for Link. She couldn't let herself be distracted at such an important moment. _Even one mistake in the song could…_ She paused. Well, she didn't really know what would happen if she made a mistake while playing it. Hmm_._ Hopefully she wouldn't have to find out.

The pair walked into the center of the room, where the Triforce emblem was displayed on the stone floor. Medli gazed around herself with mild fascination – the whole place, surrounded by spikes and thorny towers, seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she'd seen it before. Of course, throughout their expedition in this temple she'd had thoughts like this; this wasn't the first time she'd felt like she'd been somewhere in memory that she'd never visited physically.

Link raised the Wind Waker and looked at her expectantly. "Ready?"

Snapped out of her thoughts, she swiftly swung the harp over her head and cradled it in her arms, her calloused fingers poised to play. She checked to make sure it was tuned into the right key before nodding. "Ready."

Link began to move the conductor's baton, and Medli played the Earth God's Lyric with practiced ease, her fingers gliding across the harp strings. Immediately she realized she didn't need to worry about messing up the song – backed up by the spirits of her ancestors, she felt like she'd played this a million times… like this song was a part of her. She barely noticed the Master Sword beginning to glow from where Link had placed it in the center of the Triforce as she lost herself in the music.

She didn't notice Laruto until the music stopped. She gazed at the fallen Sage of Earth, who was supposedly was her ancestor. When Medli first saw her, she'd been shocked by her fish-like and wingless appearance, but she was prepared this time. Now she heard the Sage's voice echoing in her head. _"Your half of the power to repel evil has returned to the Master Sword."_ Medli sighed with relief. _"However,"_ the Sage continued, making her stiffen, _"your task is not complete. You must remain here and play the Earth God's Lyric to ensure the Master Sword does not fail again. This is your duty to Hyrule and the Goddesses."_

Her eyes widened and her heart shattered almost instantly at the sound of these words. No! This was exactly what she'd been afraid of hearing! She couldn't stay here forever, protecting the power of an ancient relic, no matter how important it was! How could she sacrifice herself like that – how could the gods be so impassive, so apathetic, so cruel? This wasn't fair… she wanted to travel… she wanted to–

"Medli?"

She looked up, noticing Link regarding her with concern, the half-empowered Master Sword in his hands. She glanced to the side, realizing that Laruto had already disappeared. Her hands balled into fists at a sudden rise of anger. Even her ancestors didn't care about her!

"Is something wrong?"

She turned back to Link, and tried to calm herself, pasting a completely fake smile on her face. "What? Oh, no. Nothing is wrong."

She struggled to hold back tears and sustain the smile as he tilted his head to the side curiously. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

His frown clearly showed that he didn't believe her, but she couldn't stand to say anything more. "Okay. Then we should go now."

_Just keep smiling._

"_You_ should. But I can't come."

"What?"

She bit her lip to prevent it from trembling – the smile had fallen from her face by now, but she didn't have the strength to restore it. "I can't come. I… I need to stay here and fulfill my duty as a Sage. I have to keep playing so that the power to repel evil doesn't wear out."

"You… That's silly," Link said, laughing nervously, a confused expression on his face. "The gods can't expect you to do that. You've done enough."

"It's my duty," she quoted Laruto quietly. "To Hyrule and the Goddesses."

For a moment, Link just stood there, frozen in utter shock. Finally, he growled, "That's not your duty. All you needed to do was restore the power to the Master Sword – and you've done that!" He held up the ancient weapon as proof. "Now all it needs is the Wind Sage's power, and it will be the Blade of Evil's Bane again. You're done!"

"Laruto told me," she whispered, a few tears trickling down her cheek. "Laruto said that I had to stay here. Otherwise, its power will fade over time."

"No!" Link shouted, grabbing her hand. "I won't let you do that to yourself. What about the Rito? Doesn't Valoo need an attendant?"

"I can be replaced," she argued halfheartedly. In all honesty, these were the things running through her mind, too. Since Komali's grandmother had died, no one had been left to teach her, so she'd needed to struggle through reading ancient texts in the old language and further her training on her own. It was difficult, and she only managed to get through it because she held some previous knowledge – for someone new, learning how to be Valoo's attendant would be next to impossible.

"This isn't fair! You're throwing your life away just for this stupid quest!"

"Link…"

"You can't do this. There must be some other way."

"Link?"

"We can just leave, right now," he continued, turning around to pace, deep in thought. "Maybe there's somewhere we can hide, where you won't have to–"

"LINK!"

He looked up at her, startled out of his rant by Medli's uncharacteristic outburst. He was shocked to find tears flowing freely down her cheeks. She couldn't hold them in any longer.

"Please, just stop," she sobbed, her voice echoing off the walls of the Earth Temple. "You're making it worse."

Letting out a big breath of air, Link visibly deflated, his gaze softening. "I'm sorry. I just–"

"I have no choice," she sighed, sounding hollow. "It's not just me, or you, or the lives of the Rito at stake. It's everyone. Every person in the Great Sea." Her voice dropped so low that Link could barely hear it. "Duty must come before love…"

For the first time during his quest, the Chosen Hero had no idea what to say or do.

"You should go now," Medli mumbled, gesturing toward the glowing portal that had appeared.

After holding her gaze in silence for a long while, Link nodded mutely. But instead of moving towards the portal, he approached Medli one last time.

"I'll come back," he promised, staring into her eyes firmly.

Medli allowed herself a sad smile. "I know."

"Besides, the gods can't keep you here after Ganon is dead, can they?" Link said, a kind of desperate hope in his eyes.

"I hope not." Could the gods be cruel enough to keep her here forever? At this point, she wouldn't be surprised…

He stepped back, away from Medli and toward the glow of the enchanted wind that would take him outside the temple. She only watched, helpless, as the wind began to envelope Link. He gave her one final smile before disappearing.

Medli was alone. He was gone.

She dropped her gaze to the floor and sighed, trying to release the despair she felt welling up inside of her. Reaching over her shoulder, she grabbed the harp. To push back the tears forming again, she played a sad, minor chord on the strings, and then started the Earth God's Lyric.

She had a feeling she'd been doing this a lot from now on.


	17. Navi X Link

**Navi X Link chapter, written by Dannondorf**

* * *

><p><span>On the Efficacy of Red Underwear<span>

It went without saying that people were awed by him. He had done so many good deeds over the years that he had become something of a celebrity, and he was the town's most sought-after bachelor. The green hat and tight green outfit that might have looked ridiculous on others suited him perfectly, but sometimes it was tough being blessed with such handsome and perfect features. His many admirers were too reverent to approach the pedestal they placed him on, so he was not disappointed that no one watched him soar through the sky as Termina's protector.

Tingle floated above Clock Town, thinking manly thoughts and doing manly things. Suspended by the red balloon attached to his backpack, he looked down at his domain and flexed in the sky where everyone could see him. In his skintight green suit, his muscles and fat bulged in beautiful harmony. His overweight frame sagged in fatigue, but he did not stop, for singing in an all-green outfit while hanging from a red balloon and flexing was the only way he knew how to attract fairies.

"Wow! Does it look bigger than normal to you?" he heard from below. Tingle graced the young woman with a charming smile and noticed that a crowd had gathered to watch him. Never one to disappoint his fans, he redoubled his efforts to reveal his muscles through the material covering his impressive chest, and the crowd responded appropriately.

"Yes! It does!"

"It's hard to believe it's become that big."

Tingle understood that people of all ages, genders, and sexual orientations enjoyed undressing him with their eyes and treating him like a piece of meat, so he understood why they referred to him as "it"; but he still couldn't explain why they seemed obsessed with saying he was going to crash into the earth and destroy the town. Sure, he was unfathomably strong, but he was far too benevolent to consider such a thing!

His fans gradually dispersed, but he continued his nightly ritual. It was only a matter of time before his immaculate voice and appearance attracted a fairy as he had always dreamed. Until then, he just had to keep dancing in the sky and ignore the fear of impending doom that had gripped the town.

But with an explosion of air, his balloon popped and he fell back to the land of lesser beings. After a flawless improvised landing, he came face to face with a dirty blonde child holding a slingshot. "Um…" it said in a rough voice, as though unused to speaking, and Tingle realized that it only wanted the pleasure of a conversation with him. Adorning his dashing grin once more, Tingle set to putting the stranger at ease.

"Hello, my name is Tingle, the great fairy of Termina! Oh, you are dressed as I am! Could you be a fairy like Tingle?"

"Sorry to bother you, but…" he began, tongue-tied at the marvelous sight before him. "I'm looking for a fairy I used to know. The people here tell me you call yourself a fairy, so I was wondering if you know anything about her. Her name's Navi."

"Alas, you are correct. At the moment, I am a fairy in name only. But fear not! Before long one will recognize my skill as a potential fairy and turn me into one."

"I…don't think that's how it works. Fairies don't come to people often, and they can't transform anyone."

Tingle scoffed, eyeing the child adoringly. So young, so naïve…Tingle truly wanted to take him seriously, but the kid's manner of dress was hilariously awkward: his oversized tunic extended below his belt to look like a skirt, and he wasn't even wearing bright red underwear over his green outfit as Tingle did. In short, there was no way this poor boy was ever going to attract a fairy.

"I pity you who knows so little about life."

"I don't want your pity," he said seriously. "Please just tell me if you've seen her."

"I have not. However, I am sure I can help you. What is your name? …Link? I can tell from your outfit that you want to be just like me. There is no need to say it. I will help you attract your fairy."

His young eyes widened, shimmering with hope. "Really?"

"Of course! But first you must learn to embrace the spirit of the fairy."

"The spirit?"

"Yes. Fairies think and act differently from mortals. Their hearts and bodies are free from inhibition, free to dance and sing!" To demonstrate, he tucked his elbows against his sides and began gyrating wildly at the waist. His large thighs rubbed together and he laughed without a care in the world. Link took a step back in trepidation. "It's okay, Link. Join me. Be free! Tingle, Tingle! Kooloo-Limpah!" he sang.

Hesitantly, Link tried to imitate the man's steps. He nearly fell over because of how unpracticed he was at rotating his hips, but with a determination that made Tingle proud, he kept going. On into the night, they thrust their hips in various directions, much to the wonder of passersby who averted their eyes out of reverence and laughed. Eventually, the intense ritual took its toll on the little boy and he fell asleep in the middle of the field, but Tingle continued to dance, his belly heaving with each pelvic thrust. He lost himself in the motions, enjoying the sweat that made his clothes even tighter than normal, but suddenly a ringing sound brought him back to reality.

A dot of light fell from the sky like a shooting star, landing directly in front of the entrance to the fairy fountain of North Clock Town. From there it slowed considerably, barely moving at all, and realizing with a thrill of delight what it was, Tingle rushed to collect the fallen creature. "A fairy has finally come to Tingle!" he squealed ecstatically, but the tiny ball of light with wings did not start dancing in celebration as he did.

It twitched weakly. "So…close…I feel like I've been flying for forever. Could you take me inside the fairy fountain to heal? I can't make it on my own."

"This is wonderful! Wait until I show Link!"

The ringing sound returned as the fairy's light changed from white to blue. "You…know Link? Is he here?"

"Yes. He's sleeping nearby."

"Oh, Link…I'm so sorry for leaving…"

"Leaving? Are you the one he calls Navi?"

"Yes! Please take me to him."

He laughed good-naturedly at the delirious fairy. "You are mistaken. I was clearly the better dancer. I'm the one you came to see, not him."

"What? Hey!" Her next words were muffled as he extracted an empty bottle from his backpack and scooped her up inside it.

"Beautiful," he muttered, bringing her to his face to better examine her.

"What's beautiful?"

Tingle turned to see a groggy Link rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The fairy called his name loudly enough that Tingle heard it even through the glass, and he shoved the bottle into his pocket before the boy could see it. "A fairy has finally blessed me!"

"Oh. That's…nice. You didn't go to sleep last night?"

"Don't be absurd. I'm too perfect to need sleep. Are you ready to continue the dance of joy?"

"Um…"

A ball of light flew out from under Link's hat and hovered by his ear. "Okay, I didn't say anything yesterday because I thought it was hilarious, but now it's just sad. Link, this guy doesn't know anything about fairies! Look at him! Ugh, you're so hopeless!"

"Hey, it's _my_ job to tell him that!" Tingle heard Navi say from inside the bottle. He shoved it deeper into his pocket.

"I know, Tatl," Link said to the new fairy sadly. "I know it was stupid to think that doing this would help. It's just…I want so badly to believe that I can make her come back. She left because I was treating her as a guide instead of a friend. I didn't listen to her, and now I'm completely lost without her."

"Link! You stupid, wonderful boy! That's not why I left!"

"Who is this interloper?" Tingle demanded, referring to the new fairy. "This whole time you were dancing trying to get a fairy, and you already had one? You adulterous fiend!"

"Adulterous?" Link repeated clumsily, unfamiliar with the word. "I'm nine years old."

"That makes it all the more despicable. You are my student no more! You shame the sexy green clothes you're wearing!"

Link scratched his head and managed to look innocent, but Tingle was not convinced. "I should go now. Thanks for your…help."

Once Link and Tatl were out of sight, Tingle giggled and held the bottle before him once again. His already rosy cheeks ignited in a happy blush.

Navi was less delighted. "You fat manchild! Let me out of here! Take me to Link!"

"Forget about that Tingle wannabe. He doesn't care about you. He was running around with another fairy."

"Link is kind and doesn't talk a lot, so he has a history of being exploited. That _slut_ is probably just using him to help her with something."

Tingle stroked his rugged goatee thoughtfully. "He can't be that kind if he drove you away from him."

"Don't talk bad about Link! He'd do anything for someone in need! He's very brave…and handsome," she finished quietly.

Tingle laughed. "That perverted boy has been a bad influence on you. How can you say that about a nine-year-old?"

"I've seen his future self seven years from now. I was his information fairy. With all the dangerous stuff Link does, he needs someone smart around to help him. We're a team."

"Then why did you leave him?"

"I-I don't know. I just thought that he didn't need me anymore, and I didn't want to get in the way of him and Zelda. I can't believe he came all this way to find me. That's so sweet of him."

"Do not despair, noble fairy. I will protect you from him!"

"No, I have to leave! Link needs me, and I need him!"

"Nonsense. You are _my_ guardian fairy, and I need you if I am ever to be a fairy myself."

"Tingle, as a fairy, I can tell you that you will never get a fairy, nor will you ever become one."

Tingle's smile fell. What if she was right? He couldn't handle the idea of never becoming a fairy, so free and elegant and magical. But when he looked at the lovely miniscule woman behind the pale blue glow, his mood picked up again. He winked in a way he was sure would seduce even an inanimate object. "I may not become a fairy, but I can do the next best thing."

"And what's that?" she asked apprehensively.

"Make lots of fairy babies with you! I do worry about the size difference, but we'll work something out. Love knows no bounds!" Soon Tingle wore a smile again…and nothing else. As he made a show of removing his outfit, Navi's body slammed against the side of her prison, presumably out of eagerness to become one with him. But when he uncorked the bottle, she flew away screaming.

"Wait!" he cried, uncaring of the attention he drew by running naked after her. "The boy still has you under his spell!" But she didn't stop. As though possessed, she flew away with energy she hadn't had when he first found her, and she cried Link's name as she left Tingle's world forever.

Tingle's heart broke. It was painfully obvious that she loved him, but that evil child had ruined their chances of being together, of being happy. Link, who had pretended to praise him by imitating his outfit and dance and then betrayed him, would not escape from this unscathed. No one made a fool of the great fairy of Termina. He vowed to punish the freak who wore all green without a pair of red underwear to balance the outfit. And he got his revenge, for Tingle and his descendents overcharged Link's reincarnations for maps from then on, demanding insane amounts of money for scant seconds of work.

And that is why the Triforce maps cost so damn much to translate in Wind Waker.


	18. Malon X Link

**Malon X Link, written by Dannondorf**

* * *

><p><span>Drifting<span>

Ganondorf laughed, flourishing his giant cape and mocking everything Link and Zelda had been through. "These toys are too much for you! I demand you return them to me!"

That was Link's only warning before energy pulsed from the dark wizard's hand and pierced his body in waves. They ravaged his insides as they passed through, filling his ears with the caster's laughter. Navi flew away, unable to withstand the evil energy, but Link could not escape. As the Triforce of Courage glowed intensely enough to burn his hand, he tried to ignore the shockwaves that made him want to vomit long enough to rush at Ganondorf, but found he couldn't move. His heart beat against his temples and he gasped repeatedly with effort. He had to act quickly. He had to stop Ganon. Everyone and everything depended on it.

Link woke up, and the current of time froze as he realized where he was. There was no Ganondorf, no urgency, no hyperawareness or quick flashes of death. His Triforce piece didn't burn or even tingle, and he felt nothing: no pain, thankfully, but nothing else either. No cheer. No relief.

Malon held one of his hands between both of hers as she sat by his makeshift bed. "It's okay, Link." She smiled through tears, and he looked away guiltily for having upset her again. "You were having another nightmare."

No, not a nightmare. Just a memory. Even three weeks after saving Hyrule and moving to Lon Lon Ranch, his recollection of that moment and many others he wished to forget was perfect. Something told him it would be that way for a long time. "I'll be all right," he promised, and stood to eat or work or do anything that might ease his mind.

"Are you sure?"

Upon looking at her again, he saw only himself in the eyes which should have reflected her soul. Why did she ask that instead of reprimanding him for being dishonest? How much longer could she endure his presence before he sucked the life out of her? Feeling suddenly uncomfortable around this person who was not Malon, he slipped his hand from hers and nodded silently, and she left him to get ready in peace.

Then time trickled forward again, torturously slow, but no matter how he focused the world still didn't have the same level of detail as the ruined marketplace, as the Shadow Temple, as the people and beasts whose lives had bled out before him. Everything swam lazily in the current and lost the brightness and sharpness that made it stand out, and it occurred to him that he might still be dreaming. He felt tired despite the full night's sleep, yet when he lifted the shovel it felt so light that it didn't seem to be there at all, so accustomed was he to swinging a heavy sword with murderous fervor. Memories of fights assaulted him. The dawn of a new day brought no promise of freedom from the past.

The Triforce of Courage slept.

* * *

><p>"So you're the strongest man in the world, huh?"<p>

Link stopped digging and resisted the unconscious urge to widen his eyes. How had he not noticed someone approaching? Not long ago, that would have cost him his life.

"Not even close," he returned with a smile that he hoped was convincing. The strongest man in the world…what a ridiculous idea. Just months ago he hadn't been a man, but a little boy. And Link had not won his many fights because of an advantage in strength, but because of his courage. It sickened him that people would worship him when all he did was find what everyone had deep down inside themselves.

"That's not what I hear," his challenger—for Link already knew that's what he was here for—persisted. "Though if someone told me you were the Hero of Time before I already knew, I wouldn't believe them," he said with a friendly chuckle. "If you're up to it, I'd like to see how I measure up to you."

"…I've had my fill of violence."

The man frowned childishly. "Come on, just for a moment. I came all the way from Lake Hylia to see you. It will be fun! I'll bet you've never fought someone like me before."

He'd win that bet. Most of Link's opponents were monsters, not people. "I'm sorry, but I really don't want to."

"You just need to remember how exciting it feels. You've been cooped up at this ranch for too long. I brought an extra blade if you need one."

Link hardened his heart against the visitor's pleas. Fighting without purpose—fighting for the fun of it, or to see who was stronger—seemed so juvenile and meaningless after everything he'd been through. Recalling all his fights with Mido, he couldn't believe he had ever done it, and he didn't understand why people would remind themselves of what Hyrule had been through. He didn't understand why people insisted on reminding him what _he_ had been through.

The sound of a sword slipping from its sheath caught him off-guard, and he silently pleaded with reality. He'd heard that sound too often. It revealed the location of enemies waiting to ambush him, and even now it sent his heart racing. Then the man who was far too enthusiastic to be a true warrior executed a horizontal slash. He did it slowly, as he surely didn't mean to actually hit Link, but Link nonetheless leapt backward.

"Yes! That's the spirit!"

No light exploded from the back of his left hand, but something erupted within him. The quick evasive maneuver brought back the dreams, the battles, the Imprisoning War. Unspeakable anger rushed through him, and for a liberating, horrifying moment he felt the adrenaline that had fueled him during his quest. He was more aware of his surroundings than he'd been in three weeks, and what he perceived with the greatest clarity was the fury he was about to unleash. His opponent mistook the change in his demeanor for excitement and raised his sword eagerly.

* * *

><p>Link drifted with the flow of time, hardly aware of anything else caught in the current.<p>

"You lazy son of a bitch!"

Jumping at the abrupt noise, he reached instinctively for his sword only to find he didn't have it with him. The movement alerted him to the aching of his arms and he remembered that he had just finished clearing rubble from the ruins of Castle Town. The stinging in his hands hadn't kept him as attentive as he'd hoped.

"You haven't done a thing to help since the war ended!" the knight continued, yelling at a man in significantly dirtier armor who sat against the wall of a broken building. "The rest of us are breaking our backs here."

"You mad?" came the slurred reply. "You just need to get laid."

The standing knight swore again, threw his hands into the air, and stormed off. Link observed the old man in soiled armor as he sipped from a translucent bottle, and he had a moment of clarity, like he was looking at his own reflection. Link sat beside him wordlessly, feeling an immediate sense of kinship with him.

A breath of stale ale greeted him instead of kindness, however. "What do you want, freak?" the foul-mouthed drunk yelled in his face. Link didn't flinch even as a bit of spit hit him. "Looking for a fight? I promise I'll go easy on you since you're a girl!"

He guffawed at his own joke, and something snapped within Link. The corners of his mouth twitched upward and he chuckled slightly. The old man fell silent in confusion, but Link continued, growing louder until he almost matched the ex-soldier's previous volume. Then the stranger's tenuous grip on reality and his refusal to take anything seriously prompted him to howl and cackle again with him. Link drew deeply from the air and laughed at nothing, because nothing was absolutely hilarious.

* * *

><p>"Have you broken the soil yet?"<p>

Link realized with a start and some embarrassment that he had been staring into space for several hours. He gestured to the dropped shovel, hoping to explain that he _had_ been working and he wasn't sure how or why he had stopped, but all that came out was a sheepish "No. I'm sorry."

Malon directed a sympathetic look toward him, a look he was beginning to loathe. He would much rather have her scold him. "It's okay. Don't worry about it."

"No. I—" As she bent over, he rushed to pick it back up before she could, determined not to make her work any harder than she already had. Now only inches from each other, they froze and held each other's stares. He peered into her eyes, hoping to see more of her than he had that morning. Presumably to do the same with him, she looked straight back.

"You know you're more than welcome here, right?" she asked after a prolonged silence. "You're not a burden on us."

He didn't feel very welcome. Every moment here wore at his patience, though that was certainly no fault of hers. "I know."

"I hope you'll stay here until you feel more like yourself." As she said this, she touched his arm, sending nervous shivers down his spine. He tried not to think about how pretty she managed to be even in work clothes and focused instead on wishing she wouldn't touch him—not that he didn't enjoy it, but the contact made it much harder to say no to her.

He didn't belong here. But what would he do if he left? During the Imprisoning War, Link had wanted more than anything to stop fighting and go back home, but now that he had his wish he couldn't recall why he wanted it in the first place. He remembered having dreams and hobbies and doing fun things in Kokiri Forest, but now they felt empty and devoid of purpose to the point where he couldn't understand why they ever appealed to him.

"Besides," she added in a much lighter tone, "if I let you run free, everyone in Hyrule might end up like the so-called fighter who just left."

His eyes lit up as the teasing part of Malon's personality shone through—she hadn't so much as called him Fairy Boy since he told her of Navi's departure—but it left as soon as it came. Still, it was enough. "You couldn't keep me away from you for long."

This time he listened when his thoughts told him to pull her close. She blushed lightly at the unexpected contact. Link thought it was cute when her face matched her hair.

* * *

><p>Unless his companion made a joke at their expense (in which case Link would offer an apologetic glance that went ignored), Link paid no attention to the passersby who scratched their heads at the Hero of Time hanging out with the town drunkard. Jerrod didn't seem confused by it, but he was definitely thankful for the food Link bought for him. "And then, I kid you not," he announced while biting into his meal, "he passed out right in the middle of having sex with her!" Link laughed awkwardly, and the last of the teenage girls who sat with them left in disgust, finally deciding that spending time with Hyrule's hero wasn't worth it. Link didn't feel too bad about it, but Jerrod whined dramatically. "Was it something I said? Link, I don't know what made all these lovelies come here today, but we should hang out more. I never got a chance to do anything with them!"<p>

To an outsider it was vulgarity for the sake of vulgarity, but Link saw the purpose behind it. He'd tried several times to explain Jerrod's disposition to the people who continued to put him down, but they didn't—couldn't—understand as Link did. Some attempted to be compassionate, thinking the man was depressed or deranged. Link wished the truth was that happy, that simple, for Jerrod didn't sit and joke and drink all day because he was lazy: he did it because he was capable of nothing else, because it was all that delayed the inevitable breaking of his spirit. He joked like nothing was wrong because not thinking about what had happened was the only way to keep from breaking down.

Unfortunately, Link couldn't seem to relax in the same way. He couldn't make jokes of his own or be glad for the company of others. He stared at the back of his left hand, but the Triforce still did not glow.

* * *

><p>The interior of Malon's house faded to gray and brown in the soft glow of dusk. Barely able to see and desperately seeking his light, his purpose, he stumbled up the staircase toward the closet he went to in secret every night.<p>

The Iron Boots were there as always, reflecting the last of the daylight to get his attention and standing upright as though waiting to be used, and he quickly fixed his gaze on the only piece of equipment he wanted to see. As though trying to fit in with his dimming surroundings and new lifestyle, the Master Sword did not glow with the power of goddesses, and he wondered if it hid its feelings as he often did. He peered into its clean surface as if trying to read a person's emotions, but it revealed nothing. It merely slept, frozen in time like every other aspect of his life.

"Link?"

The gentle voice came from behind him. He cursed silently and lowered his arm, allowing the sword to move out of his gaze. "Hello, Malon."

"What are you doing up here?" She was quiet, nothing like her usual brash, charming self, and he recognized the concern in her tone.

"Checking the Master Sword."

"To see if there's any evil nearby?" He nodded, throat dry. He did look at her until she came to his side. Her hand touched his arm, and he could not avert his eyes when she directed hers at him. "It's not glowing, is it?" She must have already known the answer, but he told her anyway. "Nothing's going to happen, Link. Ganondorf is gone. You don't have to fight anymore."

She was wrong. Evil—Ganondorf or otherwise—never rested, so why should he? "I'm just being careful."

"Please come to bed with me," she whispered. He couldn't bear it when she looked at him with those sad, worried, beautiful eyes. "Nothing bad is going to happen."

He agreed. Nothing bad would happen…while he was around. Malon had to be protected. It was his main reason for staying here. But he didn't tell her that every time he left her presence he expected to find her mangled and skewered when he returned.

"You've been working too hard," she admonished, leading him into her room. "And you haven't been sleeping enough." No, he wanted to correct her. He'd been careful to sleep just enough to stay well-rested and no more. Such was the price of vigilance.

But he was smart enough not to tell her that. "I'm fine. Just a hard day."

"You don't have to do all this. The war's over." He knew that. But there were still threats. "You've done so much already." Her lips caressed his and he responded automatically, with little feeling. It only seemed to make her more passionate. "I hate to see you hurt yourself like this. I don't know what I'd do if you…"

What had he done to deserve someone like her looking after him? Nothing. He had done nothing to deserve someone so caring, just like the Sages had done nothing to deserve their horrible fates. Why did the goddesses grant him happiness and not them?

At once he felt vulnerable and empty, and letting his hair cover his eyes, he wished he were anywhere but here. But the arms circling him were warm, and he could not avoid looking at her forever. "Why do you hate yourself?" It wasn't loud, but compared to her previous whispers, it was a scream, and he wondered how she had figured that out without his speaking. Why couldn't he hide from her? "Do you think you're a bad person?"

"N-no."

"Do you think you don't matter?" He didn't know how to answer. "Because I think you're the nicest…" She planted a kiss on his cheek. "…sweetest…" Another kiss. "…most wonderful boy I've met. You're so important to me, Link."

He didn't understand how he felt around Malon. As she trailed kisses from his face to his neck, apparently showing him how much he meant to her, he ran fingers through her hair, eventually bringing his hand to rest on her cheek. Her hands went under his tunic. They had done this before, but never had ever attempted to remove the other's clothing. Nevertheless, Link's tunic was soon over his head and then on the floor, and he started paying attention to more parts of her body than just her face.

Still, part of him didn't want this to continue. He wasn't familiar with these "romantic" encounters, and despite Jerrod's many colorful tales he had no idea what this meant for them or where it was going. Sensing his unease, she nibbled his ear and spoke softly into it. "Take what you want tonight. It's okay to be selfish sometimes."

He reluctantly considered himself well-traveled. In his experience, men often suffered from not trying hard enough and women suffered from trying too hard. Malon was working so hard just to make him feel. She was smothering her personality for him, and he didn't want her to do that anymore. "That goes for you too."

She grinned naughtily. "What do you think I'm doing?"

Something sparked inside of him. Exercise had done nothing, nor had pain. Malon was one of the only things that made him feel connected to anything. He wanted to see what she saw, feel what she felt.

He wanted to see her.

* * *

><p>"Sir Makalov—"<p>

"My name is Jerrod," he hissed, losing his facetious manner for the first time.

"Sorry," Link replied quickly and honestly, but it was too late. He had pierced the illusion they created, the world where Jerrod had never been a knight and had never been traumatized by war. The happy man he described in his stories of mischief and sexual escapades was gone forever, washed away by the current of time. Only Jerrod remained, looking decades older than he had seconds ago. He hung his head, giving the impression that he had drunk too much, but while that was true, it wasn't the reason he cast his eyes downward.

"Good men died," Jerrod lamented, the past finally catching up to him.

Link grunted his agreement, the past catching up with him as well. Darunia was much stronger than him. He deserved to win his fights and stay in Hyrule instead of becoming a Sage. Nabooru was more skilled than Link with a blade, and she deserved to live too. Saria was kinder and wiser. Impa was more dedicated to protecting Hyrule. Even Ruto was willing to forsake her own romantic feelings for the greater good. Really, all Link had done was persevere. He was the one who allowed Ganondorf to touch the Triforce in the first place.

He had no right to live when such great people had died.

"You're too young to be doing this."

Link needed no explanation for what he meant. "So are you," he countered, though Jerrod was far from young.

He looked at Castle Town with a critical eye. Like Ganondorf's skin, changed to a sickly green color by dark magic, it was forever tainted by evil. The world was broken and useless, and presently he realized how futile it was attempting to escape what he had seen and done when everything reminded him. Even the loud noise of the knight yelling at Jerrod earlier had startled him into trying to draw a weapon he didn't have.

Sir Makalov's corpse pounded the earth ineffectively with his fist and growled in rage, turning away from Link. "You still have your own stories to make. Don't waste your time listening to mine. Get the hell out of here."

* * *

><p>Where was the correct path? Why couldn't he see it? He switched goals every day, one moment wanting to forget like Jerrod and the next wanting to become a warrior again, for that was all he remembered which still held meaning. His life oscillated between unexplainable fatigue and a desperate need to push himself to exhaustion. What would Navi say?<p>

_Link, you're being an idiot._

Probably. But it was hard not to be an idiot when he couldn't figure out the smart thing to do. What he did know was that this ranch, this safe haven, this perfect idyllic lifestyle was making him soft. Having become a light sleeper during his journey, he was surprised when Malon woke him up each morning before he heard her come in. If a monster came to his room while he slept, he would not wake before it cut his throat. He wouldn't wake in time to save Malon's family.

He never thought that he would miss having enemies ambush him at every turn, but every one of those ambushes made him more prepared for the next one. What kind of person was he becoming if he _wanted_ that to happen? For that matter, who the hell was he? Was he Link, the child who was forced to grow seven years in the blink of an eye? Or was he the adult, the Hero of Time, Hyrule's sworn protector? Jerrod had chosen between his past and present selves, so why couldn't he?

He wasn't helping himself by staying here, and he wasn't helping Malon either. Like he had done to Jerrod, he had aged her, and he couldn't bear to see the shell of her former self she had become. With him gone, she could become Malon again, free to do things other than babysitting someone who would only bring her down.

His mind made up, he left for her house to gather his belongings, but stopped when the corral came into view. Someone…was singing…

His mind went blank, focusing only on what he saw and heard. The horses pounded into the earth as they ran, and a young woman started running with them, her long hair trailing behind her like a fiery mane. She laughed as she came to a stop, doubling over to catch her breath and smiling the whole time. It was her. The real her.

"Malon…"

Spellbound, he approached. With her back to him, she didn't notice him until his boots sounded directly behind her. "I'm not in the mood, Link. Unless you're here to apologize for shoving me into the hay when you thought we were being attacked, leave me alone."

Her anger only made his smile wider, for it was yet more of her that he had missed. She had seemed so afraid to snap at him these past few weeks that one would never guess she actually had a temper, and he was overjoyed to see it again even if it was directed at him. Her back was still turned to him, and he imagined that her frustration with him showed clearly on her face. He had to get her to look at him. He had to let her know how wonderful this was, how wonderful _she_ was.

"Stop it! Put me down!" she screamed as he lifted her by the waist without thought or hesitation. At first she kicked out viciously, but when he spun her in circles in the air, she eventually started laughing. He laughed too, quieting only when he tired out and had to put her down. "What's gotten into you?" she asked, giggling and at last gracing him with her visage, but he only stared back and panted. Nervous and excited under his gaze, she tucked her hair behind her ear and fiddled with the skirt of her work dress. His heart pounded. Was she _trying_ to look this cute?

He couldn't help grinning like a fool. Malon's breath caught as she realized his cheer was genuine, and hope visibly welled up inside her, restoring youth and light to her face. It welled up inside Link too, and for once he stopped noticing the flow of time, for it was irrelevant. The answer was neither child Link nor adult Link, neither forgetting nor more violence: it was Malon. Nothing had ever been so clear and obvious.

When he stepped forward to embrace her, however, he suddenly found himself on his rear and looked up dumbfounded. "That's for pushing me," she teased, bending at the waist to lean over the fallen hero. Her brooch dangled from her neck, and with a triumphant smirk he pulled on it and brought her down to his level. Before her fright dissipated he had already stolen a peck on the lips and pulled back. Once she realized what had happened, her shocked expression melted into a more amorous one as she allowed herself to sink further into him to return the gesture with a slow, loving, chaste kiss.

Link ignored his fear of affection this time. Having spent the last seven years of his life asleep in the Sacred Realm, he didn't know much about love, but he knew she felt something strong for him and that he felt something for her too. He wanted to keep her safe, but more than that, he wanted her to be happy. And if making her happy meant loving her, then he would do that.

Her hair spilled softly around him, and her hand held his cheek gently, sliding further up his head until her fingers ran through his hair just beneath his hat, and then she had his hat in her hand and was running off with it laughing. Stunned once more, Link quickly stood and gave chase.

Somehow, he didn't think loving her would be that hard.

Deep down he knew he still hadn't recovered. That would be a long process with many relapses. Even now death and violence lurked at the edges of his mind. It took so much more effort to feel joy, amusement, and affection than it used to, and he doubted he would ever stop being overprotective or jumping at shadows. But the sun was just a little brighter, and he saw everything a bit more clearly. As he yelled after Malon about the unfairness of using Epona to evade him, he remembered that moments like these were the meaning he lost sight of, the moments he'd had in mind back when he wished more than anything for the war to end. And he splashed through the current after her.


	19. Midna X Link

**Midna X Link chapter, written by Surviving Sheika**

* * *

><p>"Here," Zelda said, extending a small white box. Her arms were extended but her head hung low. He took the box and slipped it into his belt, not caring if it slipped out at the moment, and reached his hand up. He caught the single tear that leaked from her eye on the tip of his finger before brushing his knuckles down her soft cheeks and trailing them down until his forefingers gently grasped her chin. He lifted her face so that her sad eyes met his and leaned in for a kiss. Barely a kiss, more a brushing of lips, though she poured her heart into the kiss, to him it couldn't be more than a platonic kiss between friends. They pulled apart and she saw this in his eyes, not that she expected anything different. Her head dipped against and she let the movement turn her towards the bay windows in her room, giving him her back. "Please go now."<p>

He reached out to comfort her but thought better of it and let his arm drop from the air. He gave a short bow and disappeared from her room. Mere seconds after he left, there was the soft patter of teardrops on stone floor.

"Keep them closed, keep them closed. A little bit more. Alright," he pulled his hands away from her eyes, checking as he did so to make sure her eyes were closed. "Open your eyes."

She did and she gasped. They were in the old mirror chamber, but now, lanterns with cheery yellow flames hovered where the spirits used to, and tiny twinkling lights were strung around the stone that used to hold the portal into the Twilight Realm, making a mockery of the serious stone. But, most stunningly, he had covered the entire sandy floor with flower petals; flowers of every color of the rainbow swirling over the ground. She wandered to the platform that overlooked the area and leaned against it.

"Happy birthday," he murmured, joining her and giving her a small white box with a bow on the top.

"You didn't-"

"But I did and I have one more surprise for you," he said, pausing and admiring her for an endless moment before turning away. She sat down on the edge of the platform and curled into herself, letting one leg dangle over the edge and curling her hands into her chest. She couldn't help flashing back to that day. The gentlest breeze, even now, cut through her like daggers, and she shuddered thinking how close she'd come to ending up just like the mirror. Without realizing she was doing it she stood up and faced the great stone, staring out but not seeing what was in front of her.

That single tear had burned like lava as she held it on her fingertip, clinging to it as a last hope, one last prayer to goddesses she didn't know and had no reason to believe in, that something could change. The words she wanted to say stuck in her throat. If she confessed now and then hurried off, she would only hurt him more. "See you later," she managed at last, pushing the tear forward to seal her fate. However once the cracks had formed and she had moved the last few steps, he surprised her. He dove forward, racing faster than he had on the hilltop when he had glimpsed her. But this time, he didn't stop.

He barreled into her, knocking her out of the portal's light and having just enough time to twist them around so that he absorbed the blow and she landed on top of him. Quickly she rolled over so that the weight of her wouldn't press against anything he had hurt in the fall. It was then that she'd felt the hot tears land just above her breast.

"Don't go."

The words were hoarse, almost a prayer, a last effort to change her fate. Her head snapped up sharply as the sound of shattering glass filled the chamber, and then it was done. She was here now, for better or for worse. No matter –

"Happy birthday," he said again. She snapped back to reality and the first thing she noticed was the warm feeling of his fingers in between hers. He had taken her hand while she'd been dreaming and was now tugging her around to face the empty mirror frame which held an unbelievable sight.

Two hearts floated side by side. She recognized them from his travels as heart containers, but only one looked familiar. It was pink, trimmed with gold and filled with green in the very center; except, there was a diamond shape missing in the very soul of it. Next to it floated an orange heart trimmed with black with a white center, with an identical diamond missing. He tugged a chain out from under his tunic, producing the black and orange diamond that he used to turn into a wolf, oh so long ago. Carefully, without touching it, held it above the hole in his heart and it dropped in, like a teardrop into a lake.

"Open your present." She searched around until she found the white box and opened it, revealing a pink diamond with threads of gold running through. "Zelda gave it to me," he said, drawing a worried glance at the sound of the Princess's name. "She said it was the only way to know for sure."

"Know what?" But she already knew the answer. Her hands shook as she held the diamond above the gap in her heart, for a moment nothing happened . . . and then the heart seemed to pull it in and solidify around it. Taking her trembling hands in his, he reached up until their lips brushed and said, "You're the last piece of my heart, and I'm the last piece of yours."


	20. Zelda X Link

**Zelda X Link chapter, written by LoveandZeLink**

* * *

><p>"Watch out!"<p>

Upon those two words, instincts kicked at Zelda's wayward attention. Her natural impulse pushed her to smoothly dive out of the way on high-heel clad feet. Yet she bore so much elegance, the move would have brought shame to a professional dancer.

Her cerulean gaze then fell on a green-baring man knocking a twisty-bladed dagger out of an intruder's hands. The small sword was seized in a grip donned by worn gloves and like lightning, the other snapped at the intruder's arms. _Caught_—the intruder was and the green man guarded that fact by twisting his grungy arms together with clinking chains, confining the wrists. The belligerent intruder snarled as the chains were tightened but the unscathed hero calmly replied that resistance was futile.

On another impulse, the princess smiled. Behind her was an entourage of guards hastily swarming over.

"I'm in your debt, once again," she greeted him as the men guided the intruder away from the princess and the hero stepped towards her.

Link smiled, his smile was known for being sweet and quiet as those were used to summarize such the destined Hylian garbed in ancient, green tunic. A matching cap obscured most of his sunny-shaded yet dark hair but a pair of honest orbs dubbed him for his sweetness. They scintillated in an azure light, giving off a demeanor of the sweet ranch hand he was before.

"It's always a pleasure to be on the princess's good graces." His voice was quiet, as always.

In response, Zelda raised a hand. "Please, Link. We've known each other far too long to still be on formalities. I am simply Zelda to you as you are simply Link to me." She paused, her hand to her cheek instead. "How long have we known each other?"

Link respectfully answered, "It's been a good year after that incident with Ganondorf and the Twilight." His expression saddened after mentioning the Twilight, but the azure spark in his eyes stayed semi-lit.

"Is that so?" The princess mused, dropping her hand to intertwine with her other. She knew this hero was still to be diffident as such of his simplistic manners and kindly taciturn to her royal highness, but the good year should have broken such barriers.

He nodded once, allowing a pause to fill before forming a muttered request, "Prin—Lady Zelda, if I may… speak to you about this past year."

She smiled, hers was sweet and graceful as she often was. "Come, then."

The two of them started off, side by side onto a path well-worn from many other bustling citizens. Those citizens seemed to move back into their own groups of chatter and gossip after the small incident with the intruder. Link smiled at the few who were openly grateful before softly clearing his throat. His azure gaze flickered between the many variety of stalls at Castle Town as the princess halted for a moment. She had noticed his small sound, her eyes were back onto the hero.

"The year has been long and an adventure of learning. Zelda, I've learned so much about myself and the grand world of Hyrule that I wouldn't have if I stayed in Ordon. And now—perhaps, I can learn more."

"What would you like learn about now?" She inquired, her eye caught at a florist's stall.

The hero deliberately paused before silently following after Her Highness; standing by as a royal guard would as she greeted the vendor with a flourish of her tongue. Waiting for Link, she patiently plucked at the blooms with a small hum guiding her hand from flower to flower. She kept the wordless song in her throat for only a small moment.

"The world." Link spoke the answer to the petal strewn ground.

Zelda was sagaciously silent before choosing a single, red rose. Eyes enclosed, she raised the red bloom to her face and breathed in the heady scent before murmuring, "I thought you stated you had already accomplished such."

Link immediately snapped his head to her soothed gaze. "I meant the world outside of Hyrule." His left hand reached from behind to point out the picturesque panoply of rainbow blossoms beside the popular roses.

She smiled at his words and bent towards the stall to select one of a chosen few. A snow-white daisy, a vermillion tulip, the pinkest lotus, a magenta stained lily, and a butter-yellow iris all joined the single rose. A sweetly tossing zephyr whirled spring senses to the floral mingle and caused the blooms to colorfully splash against each other. That had brought a small smile to the hero's face, her small understanding was known to him.

"I'm sure you'll do very well out there." Zelda assented easily, patting her lone hand for Rupees but Link had laid a red jewel onto the florist's counter. The florist vendor bowed graciously as Link led the thankful princess back on path and on topic.

"It'll be a greatly consuming excursion, however I need to know if you are positive that I will not be needed in Hyrule?" Zelda thoughtfully lowered her head at his question, thinking while peering at the different flowers in her hold. "I am positively certain. I do not wish to be another encumbering reason of your life, Link."

Link breathed tightly, his stern eyes watching at Zelda's moving back. He knew that he was the most utilitarian officer of her Royal Hylian Guards—as saving Hyrule was one feat all other officers had not and never will accomplished—and he wished the princess would not deny such fact. Yet she wandered off to stop at a dressmaker's stall, her always attentive eyes caught at the fabricated item on display.

It was a simple blue dress, to Link's amazement. He inconspicuously sneaked a curious glance at the princess's florid gown of heavy, colored silk and dotting, golden fleur-de-lis. His mind wandered on why her cerulean gaze was filled with longing at the paled dress when the one she wore now was much more exquisite. "Would you like that, as well?" He queried, reaching for his Rupees bag again.

"Nonsense, Link." Her answer came in a small laugh; her gloved hand onto the blue fabric and lightly smiled to thank Link's bright pathos for kindness. "My court would never allow such beautiful simplicity." She laughed again, yet in a humorless whisper. "Then, you've done enough for me and Hyrule." She easily emphasized Link's kindness with the wave of her small bouquet. "Please, do as you would like."

Link immediately stepped back to bow his head a little ways in Zelda's direction. "If you will, I would like to buy that dress for you." He could sense the dimmed longing in her facaded eyes; if she may be denying her own wishes, then she may be denying her wish for him to stay in Hyrule as well.

Her winsome smile hid against his pertinacious ways, dropping her hand to fold neatly before herself once more. "I would also think you would like more so to travel outside of Hyrule. Honestly, Link—you've done enough for Hyrule. Perhaps others around the world would need you."

Link hesitated to think further, then dubiously replying, "And you, Zelda?"

She lightened her smile to one of sadness yet soft confidence. "I'll be fine, there's not a doubt in my mind."

The reaction Link gave her was one for Zelda to ponder that she should work on her persuasion. She did not mind his continous probity, however. Brushing off the conspicuous wariness in Link's eyes, Zelda fisted her fingers into the ocean-blue fabric of the dress. "You have doubts that your kismet is still protecting the likes of me? Please don't think that way."

"Kismet?" Link slowly repeated, a rare smirk lining his ruddy lips.

"Fate, as you may call it."

"My fate may tell me here, if needed," Link quickly answered, furrowing along his already furrowed brow.

Her expression softened for a moment as her fisted hand began to tug on the fabric, causing a billowing of the dress. A small smile graced her lips, as she thought on. "Waves." She murmured, her expression's tenderness tightening and adopting a sententious tone. Link stared at her, more attentively at her dreaminess. Or perhaps, she was then evincing her wisdom as her Triforce shimmered faintly. "They're caused by wind, correct? I've never seen the ocean and perhaps never will, but the world including Hyrule is much similar to the vast waters. We're all the insignificant waves wavering on and on until we fall from reaching the skies and hit sand."

Link nodded along, inaudibly trying to comprehend Zelda's esoteric wisdom as she distractedly continued to gently billow the dress's ultramarine skirt into wave-like motions; her allegory for people in Hyrule to Link's understanding.

"We're all going to achieve the same fate, yet some of us going to achieve more. Much more."

"How so?" Link questioned, habitually scratching at the side of his hat.

Zelda smiled in an all-knowing way, "Some of us can create bigger waves. Some of us are bigger waves. Then again, some of us may hit sand, but the higher waves are the ones to achieve a point where others had not." Wistfully releasing the dress, she turned her attention back to a disquieted Link. "I believe the winds of fate wish to mold you into a much bigger wave, Link. It is your fate, after all. "

The hero fell silent, his observant eyes still on the princess. She still smiled as the gears in his mind were working in his silent manner. Suddenly, he looked up and she knew from his tacit nod that she was finally understood.

"If fate wishes me so and you are most positively sure that is my fate, then I'll be departing at dawn tomorrow." Zelda let out a small sigh through her encouraging smile but Link spoke on. "But Zelda—don't you wish to see the ocean?" He asked with a hopeful glint in his azure gaze.

"I wish so." Zelda truthfully answered as an entourage of guards approached her from behind.

xxxxxxxxx

As dawn broke upon the horizon the next day, Zelda found a corpse of her single, red rose—black as midnight and fallen as Ganondorf from Hyrule's power. Yet the other lovely blooms stayed beautifully lit as morning day while the day eased on without the Hyrulean rose. And Zelda continued to rule Hyrule without the help of the Hero of Light erasing the tales of crime; those tales usually being yelled throughout the dangerous streets of Hyrule.

But Zelda knew Link was traveling to his heart's content. And perhaps it was of her magical touch or even fate was seeped into those flowers as weeks and weeks gone by—each flower would die, according to Link. After the rose was the daisy—so fair and innocent—as Link had written he had visited in a land so peaceful and full of white innocence. Then the tulip and iris—lands of perfected fame and wise, faithful hopefuls. Almost coming to the end was the dying lily, when Link described of peeking at the very blue ocean from such a pure-hearted land.

The princess heavily anticipated the lotus—the water lily. She waited and waited until death does its part. Soon enough, death had arrived as planned by unfurling shades of unworldly darkness from the canary-yellow center of the lotus. On the same day, a letter had arrived as well. Along with a parcel.

Zelda blinked at the huge item completely wrapped in warm, tan paper. Her gaze shifted to the black blooms crying lifeless petals upon her lightly lit vanity and then back to the parcel upon her bed. Shuffling along her silent elation, she anxiously sat beside the package for the quietest of moments before nearing her bare hand.

Her long index finger and thumb pinched only a corner of the parcel and then slowly pulled the crinkly paper back.

Instantly, she received an eyeful of blue wave-like fabric. Taken aback, she hastily tore off the rest of the many wrappings until breathtakingly lifting the blue fabric into the air.

It was the dress. The dress she should never have. The dress she would love to have.

A bit dazzled by such a indulgent gift, she found herself trying the dress on during the most darkening hours of the night. Smiling, she turned to the mirror's reflection above her vanity.

She was bedazzled by how elegant she still bore in such a simple design. Such a simple novelty. She knew she had well-refined taste and denying such a lovely dress impacting so much on herself would be a crime. Perhaps the winds of fate would purposely allow her to keep such a simple luxury when she followed fate all this time, never questioning against such high powers after all. Smiling that Link had been the one to push at fate, she strode back to her bed to realize something else was intertwined with the paper. Zelda cleared the trash until her hand met at soft stone.

She lifted the stone to her face for a moment, yet still not cracking at her wisdom, she then lifted the stone to the nearest candlelight.

A small shell.

A twirling shell of colors of the sandy surface with swirls of wavy blue. The seashell was twined through braided rope with a scrap of a damp letter stuck to the shell's smooth skin.

_This is only a small part of the ocean. Could you hear your wave?_

Zelda couldn't help the silly smile gracing across her lips when Link had thought about her questioned wish to the ocean. Another fine example of his thoughtfulness; so with the smile still enhancing on her lips, she childishly brought the seashell to her ear. As her eyes began to flutter close as the beats of butterfly wings would pulse, she could listen to the faint whoosh—as if her world was quieted for the rhythmic whoosh swirling over and over again, such as waves. The sound drew a quiet solace for the princess and she imagined Link would be at complete and utter peace with such silent sounds—almost quieter than him, perhaps.

Fate could not have been more conscious of Link and Zelda when they both fell asleep to waves.

xxxxxxxxxx

_Meet me at midnight._

Zelda bit back an unusually giddy smile as she crept around and out of the castle to the destined meeting place. To meet the destined hero. After all these days turning into weeks turning into many months, Zelda finally got the chance to see Link again. Hopefully, without her ever creeping guards or the exigent council on her tail.

She wanted to repay him for his thoughtfulness and had the riches of Hyrule at her disposal, yet she knew Link would not accept such. The hero traveled through foreign lands so whatever Hyrule had to offer, he must have seen a much more extraordinary version before. Then that his heart of gold would have denied such gifts.

Which lead to Zelda finalizing on just wearing the ocean dress and the shell necklace at her neck. Link would appreciate if his gifts were not in vain.

Brightly smiling from her wisdom, she smoothed out the soft, ocean-blue fabric before turning the corner to the closed dressmaker's stand. To her dismay, Link was not standing by so Zelda simply sat on the stand, trying to inconspicuously hide herself from anybody who was not bathed in green. Tugging her dark cloak closer to herself, Zelda leaned farther into the shadows of the stand and brought a familiar hood onto her blonde head. Bright blue did peek from beneath the expanse of black, but the princess suggested such a quiet section of Castle Town. Zelda was correct, there seemed to be nobody roaming such silent streets.

She breathed in the cool night air as a male whisper crossed her wandering mind. She turned, her coveted hood falling and cerulean eyes widening.

"Link…"

Fate may be conscious of Link and Zelda, but they are cruel as well. Fate had taken a cupidity-taken man to be at the very same night to purloin the unsuspecting and he believed the safest part of Castle Town was one of the wealthiest. He took with him a twisty-bladed dagger and caught sight of the princess—unbeknownst to the robber—with the unusual necklace of twisting stone. Just as he was to entangle himself into Zelda's life, he espied a green clothed man. The robber knew this man. This hero. This one to take his dear brother to the dungeons. Fate could not brought a more tragic calamity as the robber was immediately canorous enough to change the course of whose life to take.

Link surely noticed, however.

"_Watch out_!" He screamed as the dagger flew at his direction.

Zelda once again, neatly dodged out of her way and—as there was no hindrance—slammed into Link's. Into the dagger's way where twisted edges met at feminine skin and easily pierced through. Crimson made way down Zelda's blemish-less skin and pooled onto the moonlit cobblestones.

The robber saw not the dying hero, but the dying princess. So he turned a ghostly shade and fled. Ran far far off, never again to be seen in Hyrule's streets.

On the other hand, the hero immediately caught the damsel of the princess firmly by her shoulders as she miserably moaned and by pained instinct, whisked her head downward. He resisted the urge to run after the monster but lost the temperance to scream repeatedly for help while Zelda's life was fading—thread by thread.

"Hang on, Princess!" He galvanized, gently lifting her long, wan hair to observe the harm. It seemed the dagger pierced Zelda's side but was definitely deep enough to be considered fatal. Blood collected around as death had to the lotus; from the center of the murderous dagger spreading the shades of dark crimson onto the princess' ocean dress. Link applied pressure to the blossoming wound and gritted his teeth together as the sounds of her breathing was slower and much labored—breath by breath.

"Link…"

The hero responded by pulling the quiescent princess's head up to meet his shaky, azure eyes. He was nervously hapless to her limpid impasse of death. She would never believe the day—the day the hero was _scared_. "Prin—Zelda, Zelda, please don't move. You're the princess, you have to be all right, please be all right… fate would not let such." He beseeched, guilt beginning to edge along his partly bloodstained self.

"If fate—" Zelda soporifically paused, her breath becoming a wave about to crash upon sand. Her whisper of words were still dulcet to Link's ears as she neared the seashore. "If fate wished... wished that I am the one to be fall… then let fate be." She mused in a last breath—crashing—bringing her head and eyes down once more.

Link bit back a penitent cry of shame for bringing the princess to such tragic fate. For a moment, he mourned the loss of Hyrule's sovereign alone. Yet then, his herioc mind became to defog the death and he exculpated himself by finalizing quickly to never allowing such fate.

Bringing his right hand onto Zelda's Triforce of Wisdom, he whispered more so to Zelda, "You said some waves are higher than others. I believe I am higher." Here, he lightly squeezed her hand—bringing a small glow to her Triforce, "And so are you. But together, perhaps we could have been the highest in all of Hyrule's ocean. Yet, the winds of fate would not allow such waves, would it? One of us has to take the higher fall for sinning against fate so the other can reach kismet."

Closing his eyes against his bearing tears, he slowly reminisced a part of his journey when he learned one's desire can be placed onto the Triforce. Bearer of Courage, Bearer of Wisdom, one desire is able to have effect in a impasse with crimson staining and one heart beating against none. "As small insignificant waves, one of us will take the higher fall. The other must reach the winds of fate." He repeated in a half-heard murmur as his courage began to glow brighter and brighter against Zelda's light illumination of wisdom.

"Please let fate will smile upon you."

Brighter and brighter, until resplendent light consumed both of Link and Zelda.

"I believe that this is my fate."


	21. Nayru X Link

**Nayru X Link chapter, written by Lleu**

* * *

><p>In the depths of General Onox's castle, Link faced off against his strongest opponent yet. He quickly rolled under a giant claw. It just missed his head as it rent the air above him. The hero scurried behind a pillar, hoping for a second to catch his breath. That had been too close.<p>

He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep going. His arms burned from his numerous powerful strikes to the dragon's impenetrable body. Its only unprotected spot was a jewel high up on its head. Even with the help of his Roc's Cape reducing his body weight, he could only barely jump high enough to reach it, and that was at the beginning of the battle. Now, even a step seemed near impossible.

Link heard a roar and dived to the side just in time to avoid the pillar. Onox had smashed into it, bringing it down. As it shattered, stone fragments shot out, leaving several small cuts on Link's body.

Pain tore through his body, and he bit back a scream. This dragon would not see any weakness from him. He slowly climbed back to his feet. Sweat and blood dripped down from his forehead, but the hero was not distracted by it.

"Why won't you just die?" he said through grit teeth. Once again, he reached into his deepest reserves of strength and jumped on the dragon's claws. Onox tried to throw him off, but he clung tightly to his foe's scaly arm. Ever so slowly he pulled himself along it while the dragon thrashed about, trying to dislodge him. Finally he reached the shoulder. Praying for luck, he made a small leap and landed on the dragon's head.

"It's time to end this," he muttered, and locked his legs around his enemy's neck. There was no way he was getting thrown off this time. Taking his sword in both hands, he turned it around and stabbed it into the dragon's forehead. Onox reared back in pain, but Link kept his tight grip.

"Just die already!" He could barely hear his scream over the din his enemy was making as he writhed about, smashing into the walls in an attempt to remove the pest on his head. Link didn't know how much longer he could hold on to his sword. His sweat made it difficult to get a good grip, and his hands were starting to cramp.

Still he held fast. This was the last great feat he would ever have to accomplish. As soon as Onox was dead, he could go back to a life of peace. A life of working in his garden and listening to the birds sing. And all he had to do was hold on for a few more seconds.

He then realized that he wasn't moving any more. He opened his eyes that he hadn't realized had been closed, and he found himself lying atop the dead body of his enemy. Somehow, he'd done it.

Link rose shakily to his feet, his legs close to failing. He staggered away from the foul corpse, leaving the sword embedded in its head. He stumbled and fell to his knees, but he got up and kept going. There was still one last detail to take care of.

Din sat in the corner of the room, still embedded in the crystal. Link extended the Rod of Seasons towards her, and immediately he felt its magic flowing through him. More active than ever before, it was firmly pulling him toward the Oracle. It was all he could do to keep it from flying out of his hand.

When he finally touched the rod to the crystal, a brilliant red light emerged from it, blinding him. He immediately brought his hand in front of his eyes to shield himself. When he finally brought them down, he saw the crystal melting in front of him. Din's face was already free, and soon the rest of her emerged.

With the crystal no longer holding her up, she collapsed. Link tried to catch her, but he no longer had the strength, so he was brought down too.

"I knew you could save me," Din whispered.

Link just ignored her, lost in his thoughts. He was finally done. He no longer had to be strong for anyone. He didn't need to be a hero. Finally, he could just be Link. He was finally able to express the flood of emotions that he had forced himself to put away while he fought to save the the world. Before he could stop himself, tears were flowing from his eyes.

"I just killed a dragon. A dragon! Why?"

"Link..." Din placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Why did he even exist? What kind of goddess would create a world filled with such abominations? How could anyone want to kill _anyone,_ let alone the entire world?"

He was sitting up now, with Din beside him, staring in confusion at her savior.

"And the worst part is, no one cares! The world's falling apart around them, and I'm the only one man enough to go do something about it. I'm not even from here! I was just minding my business, researching the Triforce, and suddenly some idiot says "Accept our quest, hero," and  
>I wind up here. I'm not a hero. I'm a gardener. I just want to pick apples and play my fiddle."<p>

"Link, please calm down! You're scaring me. You have the mark of the hero; you're supposed to be strong."

Link turned, suddenly realizing Din was standing right there beside him. Seeing the normally proud dancer trembling chased all the anger and frustration out of him. Now, he just felt drained. He let himself fall back to the floor.

"Not any more. I did my job, and I'm going home. Wherever that is."

It was about half an hour before he finally felt ready to go back to the surface and face the world. Outside the castle, it was spring. Just a few hours before, there had been nothing but death. Now, flowers sprang up all over, and the sun shone warmly down on everything. Only the ground touching Onox's castle was untouched by life.

Link was unable to enjoy any of it, however, as Impa was waiting for him and, a grim look on her face.

"Link, we have a problem," she said.

"No."

"Onox was just a pawn-"

"No."

"-in a plot to destroy not just Holodrum, but the entire world."

"No."

"The Flame of Destruction has been lit-"

"No!" Link screamed. "Stop talking. Just stop it. I've done my duty. My job's over. I'm going home. Someone else can take care of it." He started to walk past her, she was too fast. She held his arm in a vice grip that Link, in his weakened state, was powerless to escape.

"Who else?" Impa snapped. "You've already fought and destroyed some of the most evil creatures in existence. You know an Oracle. You are trusted by the Maku Tree. You have the mark of the hero on your hand. What more could you want? Who else is there to save us?"

"I'm just a man!" Link replied. He was absolutely sick of this "Save us," talk. Tired of everyone in the whole world deciding that he needed to go save everyone by himself, just because he was too good natured to refuse. "I'm a gardener. I'm not some elite soldier that's been training his entire life. Anyone else could do it. Just build an army or something."

"Stop being selfish." Impa slapped him, hard. "There is but one man in a million brave enough to sacrifice himself for the world as you have. We haven't time to find a second. The forces of darkness are moving, and we have to act now." 

Link could only stare at his feet. He knew Impa was right. If anyone else were willing to deal with this Flame of Destruction business, it would be too late by the time they found him. "I was done..." he said helplessly.

"You were wrong," Impa replied.

Link tried to compose himself. He didn't think he had it in him to go save the world again. But he knew that if this greater threat was allowed to win, he'd die anyway. He could fight for himself, at least. That should be bearable.

"Where to?" he said.

"You've got to come up with a better form of transportation," Link grumbled as he followed Impa across the strange, new land of Labrynna. "Seriously, do you have any idea how disorienting it is to fall through that black stuff? I think I need to vomit."

"Would you prefer walking?" Impa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Yes, I would. I'm awesome at walking. I've walking pretty much nonstop for the past year. I could walk all day long and feel great afterward."

"Too bad. We had to go to an entirely different world. Walking wouldn't work."

One year ago, Link would have been frozen with shock at this news. So much had happened to him since then, however, that he was mainly just annoyed.

"Wait, another world? Really? See, that's the sort of thing I need to know before we start on something-"

He cut himself off when he heard a rustle to his left. He immediately froze and motioned Impa to do the same.

Three Moblins came out of the bushes. Link cringed a little at their rancid breath and the slobber dripping from their mouths.

"Not this again," he muttered.

"Come on Link, you can do it!" Impa said.

"Yeah, I know I can," he said, drawing his sword. "I just don't want to."

Two minutes later the battle was over. Link was wiping down his tunic with a cloth he kept inside.

"Why does Moblin blood have to be so damn sticky?"

"That was amazing," Impa said from where she had taken cover. "I'd never seen you fight before. It was so effortless."

"I've only killed about a thousand of them. It gets old fast, trust me." He gave up on getting the blood off and turned to go. As much as he didn't want to go questing again, he knew he had to, and he wanted to get it over with as soon as possible so he could get back home.

The pair continued along the forest trail until they came to a clearing. The sun was finally able to shine through, and Link had to blink furiously because of its sudden light. Once he adjusted, he was able to see a giant stone at the other side of the clearing, blocking the path. And on the face of the stone...

"Oh, not that stupid hero symbol again."

"You were so much more excited about saving the world when we first met," Impa pointed out.

"I didn't know what I was getting into then," Link replied, eyeing up the stone. It looked way too heavy to move, but that stupid triangle on its face clearly indicated that he was supposed to. He figured it couldn't hurt to try, and he gave it an experimental shove.

As soon as he touched the rock, he felt energy welling up in his left hand. He could feel it flowing into the rock, and then he could feel the rock itself. As he pushed, the energy augmented his strength, and the stone moved easily, as if it were just a pebble. When he took his hand away, the energy left as suddenly as it appeared.

"I refuse to believe that just happened," he said. Before he could complain further, he heard another voice. Immediately he was on guard, using all his senses to the fullest to identify the source of the sound. With one hand he motioned Impa to be silent as he listened hard for more details.

The voice was too faint to hear clearly, but it was definitely female. He slowly followed it, making sure not to step on any twigs. As he moved closer, he began to see where others had gone before him not too long ago. The voice became more clear as well. It was singing something.

Soon he emerged into yet another clearing, where he found something unforgettable. Humans, bears, birds, all sorts of species, were all sitting around someone. She was clothed head to toe in blue. Even her long hair, flowing down past her back, was blue. But somehow, on her, it didn't seem unnatural. It fit the girl somehow, and it filled Link with a sense of peace. Serenity, even.

But the most striking thing about her was not her hair, but the song she was singing. There

wasn't much to it; it was composed of only two phrases that the girl kept repeating. But it was that simplicity from which it drew its magic. As Link listened to her and the soothing sounds cycled through again, he became more and more entranced.

Images sprang to life inside his mind. Waves gently lapping at a beach, illuminated only by the moon. An old king, bound forever to his bed, but dignified to the end as the last of his life slips away. His son stands in silence, unsure if he can bear the burden of his father's crown.

This was the single beautiful thing he had heard since he had left on his adventure. Back home, he had made music with his friends almost daily. Everything from upbeat polkas to funeral dirges with whatever instruments they had available. He never really appreciated it then. And while he was busy fighting evil monsters or climbing impossibly steep mountains, he had never had time to fully realize what he had left behind.

Now, hearing this song, he finally realized how precious music had been to him. He was on his knees now, all desire to leave this girl and continue with his quest completely gone. He cried, unashamed, as he took in the song's beauty.

The girl must have noticed him, for suddenly the song stopped.

"Are you okay, sir?" asked the same voice that had been singing.

"Yes," Link replied. "I was just overcome by your melody."

The girl blushed, but quickly regained her composure. "I am fortunate to have such a receptive audience. I am Nayru, the singer."

Nayru! That's who he had been trying to find. The Oracle of Ages. He had to protect her from darkness or something. He was beginning to change his mind about this mission. Protecting her would be a privilege, not a burden.

"I am Link, of Hyrule, and this is Impa. We're here to protect you from..." Link paused. Now that he thought about it, he realized Impa never said exactly what it was he was fighting. "Evil. Or something."

Nayru nodded, carrying on as if Link's blunder hadn't happened. "Of course. A bird brought word of your arrival-"

"But you're really not needed," another man cut in. "I've got you covered, right Nayru?"

Nayru laughed. "I'm sorry. Link, this is Ralph. We've been friends since we were children."

Link looked at Ralph in annoyance. Something about him was just annoying. He wore a sword, but Link doubted he'd ever used it. There was no way he had the guts to look a creature in the eye and choose to end its life.

"Ralph, please!" Nayru said before Link could figure out how to react without offending the girl. "I need all the help I can get. I sense a great evil about to come to Labrynna, and it's imperative that it not get to me. If these two want to aid you, they should be welcome."

"Here we go again," Link muttered.

And then Impa started to laugh. It was not that gentle, amused laugh that Link had come to know so well. It was raspy, and hoarse, and Link shuddered at the sound of it.

"Yes, Nayru. Evil is indeed coming to this land. It is already here!" She stepped slowly toward Nayru, her once calm face now bearing a scowl. The woman's eyes stared blankly forward, unfocused. Link could barely recognize her anymore. He immediately put himself between her and Nayru, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ralph do the same thing.

"Link here was kind enough to move the sacred barrier for me, and now there is nothing keeping me from you, Nayru, Oracle of Ages."

The hero was overcome with fear and instinctively took a step backwards, holding his sword unsteadily in front of him. Had he really let evil threaten Nayru? Had his quest already failed? Such questions threatened to overwhelm him as he fought to regain his calm. It took all his will, but he was soon able steady his weapon and focus his mind once more.

But his swordsmanship would be of no use here. With a scream, Impa collapsed, completely limp. Where she had stood a shadow hovered, but only for a second. It flew straight at Link and passed through him. He didn't feel a thing. He turned around just in time to see the shadow enter the singer. Its power merged with hers, and it became too much for a single body. The excess manifested itself as a dark blue aura surrounding the girl. Dim at first, but it quickly grew in intensity.

Before Link could react, Ralph was charging her, his sword raised to strike.

"Let Nayru go!" he screamed.

Link jumped at the other man, tackling him before he could do any damage. He fought to get up and get at the girl, but Link held him down easily.

"Calm down! If you hurt her, you'll only be hurting Nayru."

The shadow laughed again.

"I am Veran, Sorceress of Shadows! With this body I can now control time. I will go into the past and create a world of darkness."

And with that she stepped into a portal and disappeared. Link let Ralph up, and he immediately ran off in a random direction, screaming something about saving Nayru. The fool would never manage it. He didn't even have the presence of mind to not swing a sword at his childhood friend. If she were to be saved, it would be up to Link. As usual.

He thought back on her song and smiled. He was not at all eager to go on a quest to save the world. A quest to save Nayru, on the other hand, he could do. He could do it easily But first, he sat down for some food and water. This was going to be a lot of work.


	22. Zelda X Zelda

**Zelda X Zelda chapter, written by world-needs-peace**

* * *

><p>"Excuse me? Excuse me, please!"<p>

The princess set down her cup and saucer on the small round table, casting her eyes up to see a girl in a bright pink ballgown hurrying toward her. She smiled instantly as she recognized her, and stood from her chair.

"Hello, Aunt Zelda," the princess swept her skirts and curtsied. "It is a pleasure to meet you here again-"

"Please," the girl was distraught, and seemed not to have clearly heard her. "Can you tell me where I am? At first I was certain this was my own palace, but there are strange differences, and I am unaware of how I arrived here."

The girl stared at the flustered woman a bit in befuddlement. Strange. In the past, whenever she would arrive in the dreams, she would be calmed and graceful, just as the picture poised her to be. And the princess had explained to her so many times, her unconscious mind had given the persona the necessary knowledge.

"You are... unaware of where you are?"

"Yes, completely. Like I said, I thought it was my own palace, but... it still doesn't make sense. After all I thought... that I would be cast to sleep for eternity, yet here I am conversing with you just as clear as anything."

She was a pretty little thing, in a pink ballgown with white ribbon bows that was the fashion of her time. She had rich brown hair with red undertones and sparkling blue eyes. Even so young, she looked majestic in comparison to the princess, with her plain blond hair and simpler soft pink gown. She cleared her throat awkwardly when she realized she had been staring.

"Well, the truth is, that was quite some time ago. Several generations, ago, in fact."

"Several... generations?"

"Well, more than several, to be honest."

There was a thick silence. Which the princess found strange, because there was rarely ever a "silence" in a dream.

"I don't understand, then. I am in the future? Did the mage make a mistake and cast a spell to send me through the ages?"

"Well, no," and she found it stranger yet that she was actually explaining this. "You are asleep. That is to say, the spell he cast upon you did put you in a deep slumber. You are currently held in a room in the castle, where none can enter. Only Impa knows of how to unlock the door."

"Oh. Then, I am dreaming. But, why have I started now?"

"To be honest, I haven't the foggiest idea." she looked around herself. "Actually, I had been the one dreaming, when you arrived. "

"Oh. Then this is your dream, I have stumbled upon. Yet, how can I be sure you're not a figment of my own dreams?"

"I suppose there is no way I can truly prove it."

"I suppose it matters not. This truly is a lovely place," she remarked as she looked around. "Whether it is my dream or yours, it's quite nice."

"This is the garden of the castle. It has probably changed since you were last here."

"It has, these flowers are strange to me. What am I to call you?"

"I am Zelda," and the moment she said it, she realized the problem.

"Zelda?" the girl looked to her, confused. "But, that is my name. If this is your dream, why do you have my name?"

"... Why don't you sit down, with me?" the princess indicated the open seat across from her. "I believe there is much I will need to explain to you."

Zelda was quiet as the princess explained the legend of her curse, and the decree of her name over the royal household. At the end of the story, Zelda looked down into the tea cup she had taken up, and was quiet.

"So he did that for me, did he? I am touched for his grief."

"He was never quite the same, after that," the princess admitted. "The stories go on to say that he brought flowers to your room often."

"Personally?"

"Personally," she assured. "Your brother went on to be a very kind and just ruler."

"I am glad, then," she said softly. "after the wizard was gone. I could sense how much of a terrible influence he was to my brother. I shudder to think of what would have happened, had he gotten a hold of the whole Triforce. At least the kingdom has enjoyed peace, in my absence."

She sensed, more than saw the unease of the princess from her words, and looked to her curiously.

"Zelda? What is the matter?"

"Well, it is true the Triforce has not been united, but there are still those that would try to take the power of the remaining pieces. Even now, the Kingdom is recovering from a terrible threat that happened not too long ago."

"What sort of threat?" Zelda asked with alarm. "Please, tell me what has happened."

But she could not, for the moment she tried to open her mouth, she could not speak. The surroundings grew dark, and began to fade, and the princess awoke with a start. The girl stared up at her bed curtains for a moment, disoriented. She went over every detail in her mind, reeling from the very beginning tot he moment she awoke, and found she could recall every detail from the moment she met "Zelda". How peculiar. She sat up, looking around her room, and in her hazy state, she felt the garden had been more real than her room.

She jumped when Impa came running through the door without a knock.

"Oh Zelda, princess, something wonderful and strange has happened!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The two stood at the altar's side, both of them still hardly believing what they were seeing and what had happened.

"I see." The princess said softly. "That explains it, then."

"Explains what?" Impa asked.

"Nothing. I was just thinking that it would make sense, for Link to be the one destined to awaken Aunt Zelda."

"His trials and exploits must have proven himself worthy enough to activate the spell his late majesty cast. If anyone can save her, Link can."

The Princess nodded once, not moving her eyes away from her face.

"Impa, fetch me flowers," she said suddenly. "Pink roses."

"Princess?"

"Say they are for my room. None but the two of us and Link should know of what has happened. Not yet, anyway."

"Of course. I shall go fetch them now."

The old woman scurried away with a vigor that belied her age and stooped appearance. She closed the door behind her, leaving the two princesses alone. Even before, she had never even dreamed she would be so lucky as to witness the awakening of the legendary Princess Zelda. Zelda remained in slumber, her face serene and peaceful, with her hands resting daintily across her sternum. She was so beautiful, so real it made the Princess's heart ache with adoration, and she had to stop the urge to kiss her. The regal and elaborate painting did her no justice. She reached out reverently, and placed a her hand over hers. It was lightly cool in the air, but pulsed with the warmth of life.

"Don't worry, Aunt Zelda. I promise to watch over you until Link returns. I won't let anything happen to you."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"... to know what happened."

The princess looked to Zelda gazing upon her expectantly. She was still in that chair, in the same garden, looking to her, and the princess could not make heads or tails of what she had just heard.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I said: I want to know what happened. You were about to tell me what happened to Hyrule, and why there has not been peace. Then you went quiet all of a sudden." She went quiet as well, and looked curiously to the table. "Has that vase of roses always been there?"

The princess looked between Zelda and the vase, and realized what had happened, in a sense. Their spirits seemed connected for some reason, but this connection only lasted when the princess was asleep. That meant Zelda would not be aware of when she was awake or not. At least this meant she would not be lonely during the day while she was awake.

"I had them brought for your room. Can you smell them?"

Zelda leaned over, and delicately inhaled a flower, and she smiled at the soft aroma.

"They're lovely. But wait, how did you bring them to me? I thought you were dreaming and that's why we're here."

The princess smiled. "I've discovered something interesting, Aunt Zelda. I've also found out why we're-"

"Oh goodness, did you just call me "aunt"?" she asked in apparent horror.

Taken aback, the princess blinked. "Yes? Well, that is what you are to me, aren't you?"

"Well, you are my brother's descendant, not really mine... but still, to call me "aunt" just makes me feel old. Are we really even related like that any more?"

"Of course," the princess could not hide the sting the words caused. "I am still of royal blood."

"Oh, forgive me, I did not mean any offense. What I meant was: you said yourself that many generations have already passed, yes? Then, just how distant of a relation are we?"

The princess went quiet as she considered this. She had a point. By now they both had to use the term "family" rather loosely. Distant relative would be more accurate. She looked to Zelda curiously.

"I'm not sure. Technically speaking, I would have to say you were my Great-great-great-great-"

"Oh, don't!" Zelda whined and buried her face in her hands. "Now I feel tremendously old!"

The princess could not help but giggle at the reaction. "Well, if we're to be completely honest..."

"No, absolutely not!" she said with conviction. "I am still sixteen, I absolutely refuse to believe I am any older-" she gasped suddenly. "My body! Have I aged in my sleep without knowing? Am I an old woman by now?"

It was strange, she did not have that same kind, poised grace she always imagined her with. Somehow, the fact that she was born so long ago, and the hardships she faced always made her seem "older" in the princess's mind. Somehow, she imagined her older, and more collected. She had always thought her beautiful and serene in the paintings, though seeing her more here and vivid made her rethink it. She was insecure and unsure of herself, just like any other teenage girl. It made the princess realize that although she was technically older, Zelda was really not much older than her.

"No," the princess soothed, though could not help but chuckle at her fear. "Believe me, you look the same. You are still young, and very beautiful."

"Oh, I see." she sighed with relief. "Well, just don't call me "aunt" anymore. I'd feel strange."

"Well then, what am I to call you?"

"Just Zelda is fine. We can be friends here, can't we? Now that that's over with," she straightened, and smoothed out her skirts, and picked up her tea cup, "tell me what has happened while I slept."

The tale took two nights to tell. Not because the story was long, but because Zelda kept asking questions through the tale, and stretching it out. The princess did not seem to mind, and was more than happy to oblige her, even if the retelling did dig into painful wounds. When Zelda started asking more and more about Link, the princess made the mistake of being too honest with her assessment, even when Zelda asked if he was good looking. When the Princess told her that he had a funny nose, with a rather plain appearance, and not very attractive at all, Zelda looked at her oddly.

"Really? Is he really as bad as all that?"

"No, heavens no, he's brave, and kind, and loyal, with a sense of justice that can be matched by no other man I have ever seen. He's just not that good looking."

"Well, you seem fond of him," Zelda assessed. "I would think you find him more attractive, such as any girl would feel for her savior."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I am forever grateful for his sacrifices, and what he's done. I feel indebted to him more than almost any other person, and would give him any prize he desires, if he had asked for it, but I have not fallen in love with him, if that's what you mean. The truth is, I prefer the company of women."

"You... do? Oh."

The princess wondered why on earth she had admitted that. Perhaps it was the honesty granted in a dream, and the relaxation she felt around this kindred spirit.

"Are you... attracted to your own body?"

She held back her exasperation at the question. "Not any more than you, I would imagine. I simply am attracted to other women. It is why I prefer to bathe alone, and dress myself, when I can. Otherwise, I am distracted by thoughts of being intimate with my handmaidens."

"I see."

Even she could feel the discomfort. In retrospect, perhaps she should have kept that to herself. It was not an easy subject to breach, she supposed, and the last thing she wanted was to make this poor girl feel uncomfortable. She was having enough of a hard time as it was.

"Unlike a man," she said suddenly, "I am not easily distracted by a girl's bosom."

"Oh hush!" but she could hear the laughter in her voice before there was a hesitant venture. "Well then, what do you find attractive in a girl?"

"Her elbow."

"Her elbow?"

"Yes, I'm quite fascinated by them. They can go from soft to hard in an instant, and are wonderfully flexible-"

"Oh stop it!"

Zelda lightly smacked her arm with the back of her hand, but it only made her laugh.

"Well, you asked."

"And I expected a serious answer!"

"I never promised I would give one."

"You're terrible."

"I was just having a bit of fun."

"Come now, be serious. What do you find attractive?"

She sighed. "A neck."

Zelda looked at her hard, trying to see if she was teasing her again.

"Well, the curve of a neck, where it meets the shoulder." She looked away from her. "It's more... desirable when a woman has her hair up, and I can see her from the back. If just that much skin is showing I find it... enticing. I like to imagine running my fingers across it."

She felt the color rush to her cheeks as she felt the stare on her, and sipped her tea.

"...What if the woman has broad shoulders?"

"Actually, I'd like that better. I feel more grounded wrapping my arms around her when we kiss."

She cursed her mouth to go into such detail. She now hated dreams with a passion.

"...you're such a romantic." she finally giggled.

The princess looked to her in embarrassment, and Zelda was smiling.

"You're as much of a sap as any other woman. I'm going to guess you'd say that you'd want to feel safe in her arms as well?"

"Not just safe, just... secure. That I can follow my own heart's desire without second guessing my nature. That we'll be safe with what we're doing without judgement."

"I believe that is what anybody wants."

The answer was so prompt and matter-of-fact that it took the princess by surprise. She marveled at her, and was entirely grateful for her understanding.

"How is my neck?"

Until she asked that.

"Oh, don't ask me that!"

"Oh come on, I'm curious. You're the closest thing I have to a boy's opinion right now. Am I pretty?"

"I doubt my tastes would be the same as theirs."

"Anyone can appreciate beauty. Come now, is my face lovely at least?"

She sighed. "Of course you're lovely, anyone can tell you that."

"Well, yes, but say you didn't know me, that I was a face across the room. Would you think me pretty?"

She looked at her hard, trying to imagine the scenario, which was hard to do, since she had grown up with the knowledge of this woman. No, not really woman, but girl. And when she remembered when she had first seen her at the altar, the scenario was much easier to imagine.

"Yes," she finally answered softly. "I do believe I would."

And that opinion was strengthened when she saw her face glow from the shy smile.

"Well," Zelda said with a teasing edge. "I suppose that means I can capture Link's attention, then. if you don't want him, I'll take him."

The princess ignored the bitter taste the words reminded her of, and smirked right back at her.

"You can have him," the princess the was quick to retort. "I certainly wouldn't want to wake up to that every morning."

"You are terrible!"

"Only when I dream with you."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Where are we going?"

"Well, we've been in that garden so much, I thought you might enjoy a change of scenery. You don't know it, but it has been over a week since this first started, and ever since my imprisonment, I can hardly stand being in the same place for so long, no matter how lovely."

Zelda smiled. "I understand perfectly. It is nice to be somewhere different. And you are very kind for sharing it with me."

"It is no trouble. Really, it's not like I have to worry about preparations, do I?"

"No, I suppose not," she giggled.

They ended up traversing the whole castle. Zelda was so curious, asking question after question in each room as they traveled. As she assured the princess, the changes were very slight, but still noticeable enough for her. Occasionally, a servant or soldier would appear, and the princess would politely introduce them, and although Zelda knew they were not the true people at all, she still was very gracious and engaged them in conversation, just to see how they would play out to her. All of them said that they were so happy to see her well and that they were more than glad to host someone of such high esteem.

"Everyone here thinks so highly of me," she giggled after humoring the sixth projection. "Goodness, I'm used to compliments, but they treat me like I'm already queen."

"Well, you are very highly regarded," the princess admitted. "I've always admired you, ever since I was a little girl. I always thought you were so brave, standing up to your brother like that, even in the face of magic. I didn't think I could ever be that brave."

"But you were," Zelda said softly. "After all, you had to face enemies, of your own, did you not?"

The princess grew quiet as she considered this. The situation was a bit different, to be sure.

"I don't remember really feeling brave at all." She admitted. "It just became a tiring game of wondering, and waiting."

"But you did not lose yourself to despair." And she gave a warm smile that was encouraging. "And even now, you are leading the effort to rebuilding Hyrule, are you not? I am truly honored to have someone so brave to be named after me."

The princess could say nothing, but blushed as she fell in love all over again.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The castle was beginning to wonder about the princess.

Not the subjects, for they had only the image of a lady sitting on her throne, directing orders and trying to distribute the money where it was needed, but the castle staff that better knew her began to wonder about the increasingly frequent daydreams, the occasional humming, and, when time permitted, periods of absence. They could search everywhere for her, but she would not appear again until she herself deemed it necessary. And lately she seemed to have a fascination with flowers. Every few days or so, she would ask for new ones to be brought to her room, different each time. One day, a servant had noticed the princess walking down the hall with the vase in her hands. She curtsied, but passed without a word, the princess merely smiling pleasantly in response. The only one who had any idea of the reason behind her actions were Impa, but of course, she said nothing to the others.

"Is it really so pleasant to watch another sleep for so long?"

The princess said nothing, not moving her eyes from the slumbering girl laying before her. A single sheet now covered her, folded carefully over her bare hands so as to keep them warm, and her slippers lay beside the altar. Her beautiful lush brown hair had also been carefully draped over her shoulders, so as to keep the soft cream of her neck safe from tempted wandering eyes.

"It is quieter in here." was all she said.

The old woman said nothing, but sighed softly at the actions of a hopelessly love-struck girl. "Link is able to read the ancient script."

There was no initial reaction. Then she slowly closed her eyes. "I know."

"Then, are you prepared?"

"I must be. As the next in line, it is my duty. I only hope it does not take me long to bear an heir."

"The Goddesses willing."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The day arrived. Word of his return to the castle was brought to her quickly. She let him be to go to the once sealed room, but not before she cleared away the sheet, and replaced her slippers. After a moment's decision, she also took away the vase of flowers. She gazed upon the face one last time. With a tenderness she could only show to one who was not looking, she lay a first kiss of goodbye on the still sleeping lips. She touched her hair and gazed down sadly.

"Thank you," she murmured, "for the happiest nights of my life."

She would rather have shared the rest of them with her, than with a man, no matter how fond she was of him.

The princess waited on the high throne, until the pair entered. Her eyes instantly skipped over the green-clothed hero, and her heart skipped a beat at the radiant girl coming in beside him. The moment their eyes locked, Zelda's entire face glowed, and the princess's heart ached.

Her smile is so much more beautiful in person.

And then Zelda ran past the hero, down the carpet to the throne. The princess rose from her throne and hurried down the stairs to meet her. They embraced on contact, and both reveled in the warmth that dreams could only emulate, but never truly capture.

"You're awake," the princess murmured.

"I'm alive, again." Zelda breathed, and she finally pulled back, and held her hands in hers. "And I can't thank you enough, for helping me until Link finally arrived to break the spell."

Link. The word was like a pall cast over her heart, but the princess still smiled as she prepared for what she knew was to come.

"Indeed. I am again indebted to you, Link." she released Zelda, and turned to face him completely. "Not only have you saved my kingdom, and myself from certain doom, you have awakened the legendary Zelda from her slumber, yet you still ask for nothing in return. Is there nothing I can do for you?"

Right off the bat, she sensed the change. So long ago, when he had first saved her kingdom, and she asked such a question, he merely smiled and assured her that he only wished to return to his home. This time, she saw the indecision, the longing in his eyes, and uncertainty as he glanced between Zelda and herself.

"You need only ask," she assured, and took one step forward, keeping up her smile, "name your prize, and it can be yours."

Taking another moment to compose himself, he finally spoke.

"If I may... I mean, if her highness permits it, I wish..." the boy that was almost a man put a fist over his heart, and knelt down to bow before her. "If it pleases her highness, may I have the Princess Zelda's hand in marriage?"

The room went quiet.

_As the next in line, it is my duty._

The princess took one look to Zelda. The girl was watching her with bated breath, in such anticipation of her next words.

_As the next in line, it is my duty_.

"If that is your desire," she turned back to the hero before her, and smiled, "Then it is yours."

The lad's head whipped up, and his eyes sparkled with relief. He stood, just in time for Zelda to run into his arms, and the two laughed in joy, and the princess realized too late her mistake.

He had meant the other princess Zelda. And she had just given them permission to be wed.

And Zelda looked as though she would fly through the roof.

"Oh, thank you, Zelda!" she trilled, but did not leave from Link's arms. "I don't think I've ever been so happy!"

How? She had never met him. All she heard were tales of his bravery and exploits, and... well, what normal girl would not fall in love with someone like that? But the ancient script implied... Of course. Zelda was still a princess, was she not? If Link married her, he could still be king.

And, if she went through everything correctly, wasn't her ancestor actually the next in line?

_As the next in line, it is __her__ duty._

_As the two shared in their new joy, the princess knew she should have been relieved, and thinking: now I don't have to get married, but she stood, shell-shocked, and the only thing she could think now was: Zelda is getting married._

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_The ceremony was a grand affair. The whole kingdom celebrated in the courtyard, for the first reason to celebrate in a very long time. Such grand music, a superb feast, and the most gay of decorations were only appropriate for a wedding between the hero of the land, and legendary princess. And neither of them could look happier, caught up in the festivities and ready for what looked like a very bright future ahead of them. The princess was going to wait until after the party to announce her decision to leave and live in the country castle._

"_You wish to name me advisor?"_

_This time, both princess Zelda, and Link looked to her beseechingly._

"_I know the ways of court, but my brother was the one raised to rule a country," she explained softly. "I'm not sure how I'd fare so well on my own, even with a husband."_

"_And I am a swordsman," Link spoke up, but not much louder than his new wife. "I know how to travel, and how to slay beasts, but I don't know how to rule. Please, your highness, we need your help."_

_It was a funny thing, but neither she, nor Link felt comfortable enough to have him address her by her first name. Even after he was named king, they doubted he would ever call her "zelda". As it should have been, she supposed. Otherwise it would get confusing._

"_That's what you have advisers for," she pointed out._

_This time, both of them smiled wryly at her, but Zelda was the one to say: "They're not as brave or wise as you. And I trust you," she held her hand. "I know you would never lead me astray."_

_So she said to the one that dared to take advantage of her while she slept._

"_Impa will not lead you astray."_

_She looked to her sadly, but solemnly. "For how long?"_

_It was a harsh, but true question. Alas, she could not say no to that face, or the request, considering the fair points they brought up. It seemed her move would have to be put off._

"_Very well, then," she smiled, and squeezed her hand. "Don't worry, Zelda. I will be there to guide you until you are well enough to stand on your own."_

"_Oh thank you, Zelda," she leaned over and embraced her. "You're always looking out for me."_

_A sad, cruel, inescapable truth._

_After the coronation, the princess was no longer required to stay and watch the festivities. So after a long round of goodbyes to those that mattered, she retired to her quarters, insisting that the fireworks were not enough to keep her exhaustion from taking her. As she sat on her bed in her nightgown, she hugged her pillow to her chest as she listened to the sounds of celebration through the window. Only when the sun set, and the princess knew of where Link and Zelda would be going for their consummation, could the tears finally release themselves from her reserves. _

_It was the same room that had been sealed for so many years, one that Zelda had joked she had "already been sleeping in". The same room that the princess had visited everyday, and brought flowers to, and fussed over the sleeping Zelda, and where she had stolen her first kiss without her knowing, was now to be their wedding room as she remained in the palace._

_Alone she wept, as the fireworks exploded above her._


	23. Link X Dark Link

**Link X Dark Link chapter, written by msfcatlover**

* * *

><p>A sigh drifted across Hyrule field. In one tiny corner, a tiny campfire had burned down to embers, casting barely enough light to see silhouettes.<p>

The young man braced his foot against the Stalchild's skull and, with a tiny grunt, freed his sword. Slate-grey fingers ran through black bangs as he glanced at the other, curled up under a blanket by the fire. He sighed again.

"Honestly…" A smooth voice, unexpected from one so rough-looking. "You can sleep through anything can't you?" He dropped down on the ground beside her and poked what was left of the fire. "You don't know how lucky you are you didn't kill me… How did you ever survive before I came along?"

He wondered if anyone else knew her secret; he hadn't been around long enough to know if she'd told anyone. Her features walked that thin line between a beautiful woman's and a handsome man's, and her build was far from dainty. He knew for a fact she did no more to hide her body than any other girl, but her tunic hid the small curves under it shockingly well. Her voice, when she spoke, was a rough alto, once again walking the fine line between masculine and feminine.

He loved her despite it. Hell, he loved her _for_ it.

It was stupid. It was reckless. If anyone even found out he existed, he knew he would die. Most likely by her hand. It didn't matter.

They were supposed to have fought. Only one of them was supposed to have lived. But she'd looked so tired, so worn to the bone… It was one of the few things they had in common: something resembling a moral code. He couldn't do it.

She didn't know he existed.

He'd hid, had let her pass through. It had been so obvious she was female, wet tunic clinging to her, and he remembered being baffled by why a girl would set foot in such dangerous place. He also remembered being impressed by how far she'd come.

He'd followed. She was clever when it came to puzzles and battles, but she knew nothing about the world beyond that. He'd seen her other guide, and knew she thought it was _him _who left out edibles in obvious places, _him_ who guarded her while she slept. Let her believe that. What mattered was her safety.

Nothing else.

He brushed her bangs away from her face. It was definitely an attractive face, no matter how you looked at it, but he knew she didn't think so. She could, and did, point to scars that you'd never notice unless you knew what to look for. She bemoaned each one in private, not knowing how she'd ever explain them when the ruse was up. Who would want a girl who fought?

Who wouldn't love her spirit?

He could see her future more clearly than anything. She'd win the war, practically single-handedly, and set Hyrule to rights. Someone would let the populous in on her secret, and those flocking to her door would change from women to men. The crowd might be a bit thinner. Some of them would be attractive. She'd pick one of them, they'd get married, maybe they'd have kids. She wouldn't need him anymore.

Maybe family life would mellow her.

He hoped not.

His own future was less clear. The idea of her with anyone made his chest hurt, but he couldn't reveal himself. He wouldn't deny her her happiness; that would be wrong. He wasn't sure he could live knowing she was in another man's arms (and it would be a man, she'd made that clear in what she thought were private conversations with the fairy) but knew he could never take his own life.

He wondered how long the war would last.

The longer it went on, the worse she was. The more tired, worn. The less innocent. But if it ended tomorrow… he'd have no excuse to see her. To watch, to listen, to protect. By his own logic, by his own morals, he'd have to leave. And he'd be miserable, and she'd be none the wiser.

He gently ran his fingers down her cheek. She was so young, but so old at the same time. He'd heard people guess her age to be well into her thirties. They hadn't seen her like this. Asleep, all the years washed away from her face, all the fights, all the bravado. She looked not a day older than the ten she actually was. It seemed a miracle to him, this complete transformation from haggard adult to child.

He heard a sound in the bushes. The monsters were back. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips, and stood.

"Don't worry," he joked, "I'll take care of them."

"Sleep well, Link."


	24. Ilia X Link

**Ilia X Link chapter, written by Trinkets for Tall Tales**

* * *

><p><strong>I actually barely ship LinkIlia (maybe just a little), but I try to keep an open mind and hopefully this came out alright. I do, personally, view Ilia as ever so slightly bratty, but I tried to write it in an endearing manner. My only warning to you is that I haven't played Twilight Princess in a while, so this might be slightly incorrect in accordance with the storyline in some aspects. But with any luck, that will not be the case. I am rather proud with how this came out, so perhaps you'll like it as well. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Ilia met Link when she was eight and a half years old. He was a wanderer with golden hair and a melancholy smile when he stumbled upon Ordon and Mayor Bo offered him a room for the night. Link was only eight years old. For all of supper, Ilia taunted him: she was half a year older and automatically, twice as smart. And Link silently endured it with his melancholy smile.<p>

Mayor Bo let Link help with the ranch the next day and let him spend the night again. And the night after that. And the night after that. Link was no longer a wanderer.

* * *

><p>When Ilia was nine, Link became a playmate. Ilia had forever had imagination filling her veins, so Link was never the same playmate twice. Some days he was a pirate, and Ilia was the elegant mermaid who could afford to laze about and collect a rainbow of seashells. Some days he was a sorcerer, and Ilia was the witch of the superior realm whose magic, naturally, overpowered Link's. And some days, Link was a knight, courageous and fearless, and Ilia was the princess, adorned in flower necklaces and anklets made of acorns, locked away in the tower. Of course she could have escaped if she had wanted to, but it was more princess-like to wait for a knight, and Ilia wanted to do the role properly. Her favorite part was when Link would slay the wooden dragon, its twig limbs snapping like coals in a fire, and lead her to her freedom through the autumn leaves twirling about them like fairydust. Ilia would decide then that if she ever was locked in a tower, Link would be the knight she wanted to be rescued by.<p>

* * *

><p>Ilia was ten when Link grew boring. He'd rather go fishing or work the ranch than climb the trees or go swimming in the spring. Mayor Bo told Ilia she was being immature and that Link was simply growing up. Ilia had stomped off and nearly run right into Link. She told him he was stupid and dull and that growing up was a most uninteresting business. Link said nothing, and Ilia went to bed early that night. When she awoke, a simple flower necklace, the stems woven together beautifully, was on her pillow beside her. She forgave Link for growing up before her.<p>

* * *

><p>Ilia was twelve when she first saw it happen. Mayor Bo had always told her he'd explain about her mother when she came of age, but Ilia wasn't of age yet, so she didn't know. That's why she saw it happening with Colin's parents instead. Their mouths were on each other, and it looked strange. But it was a different kind of strange. Ilia felt like she shouldn't watch, but she couldn't not. But Rusl pulled away as if there was nothing peculiar about what had just happened, and Uli smiled after him as he left. Ilia asked the other kids about it later. Malo and Talo thought it sounded disgusting. Colin blushed and offered no opinion. Link looked thoroughly uninterested, and Ilia wanted to yell at him to pay attention because this was important. But Beth spoke up before she could do it. Beth looked wistful but simply said her parents did it sometimes too. She thought it was called "kissing." But Ilia knew it wasn't "kissing." When Mayor Bo tucked her in at night, he "kissed" her, and what she had seen happening was completely different. It looked intriguing-maybe magical even. Ilia had always believed in magic.<p>

She later found Link, sitting on a rock. "Try it with me," she told him. Link's cheeks crimsoned, but as always, he made no protests. Link always let Ilia have her way. He leapt down from the rock, and Ilia strode up to him. She tried to cradle his face in her hands like Uli had with Rusl, but she felt like she was doing it wrong. Link met her eyes, petrified and, for the first time, _scared._ Link had never feared anything for as long as Ilia had known him, and now she felt a terror of her own creeping into her. But she couldn't stop now. She was so close; she had to try it. She leaned in for him and pressed her lips against his, closing her eyes because Uli had. It didn't feel magical. It felt funny. It was all awkward angles and sweaty skin and no magic. Ilia pulled back, her own cheeks flushed. Link stared back at her. "I'm sorry," she said, running off because she didn't know what else to do.

Ilia and Link didn't talk about the "kiss," and none of the other kids ever knew. It was easier to just forget they had tried it. But Ilia did tell Beth once that "kissing" was indeed, very unpleasant.

* * *

><p>When Ilia was thirteen and Link was twelve and a half, Link got his first horse. Ilia didn't care how old she was (she never had), she stamped her foot and threw a tantrum that Link had received a horse before her. Ilia had prayed for a horse since she could speak, and it wasn't fair at all. Mayor Bo tried to assuage the disaster, telling her Link needed the horse for his work. But none of it made any sense, and Ilia stormed away to the spring, huffing as she sat down in the sand. There was a soft patter of hooves and the rustle of branches. Link was there with her in the clearing, his beautiful, perfect horse with him. Ilia told him to go away. Link told her she could ride the horse first. Ilia stood, looking at him incredulously. He nodded, giving her permission. She approached the magnificent creature, stroking its mane carefully, tenderly. Link helped her climb onto its back, not that she needed his assistance, but she accepted it to be polite. And then she was cantering around the spring, surrounded by the rushing of the wind and the glow of Link's smile as he watched her fly.<p>

* * *

><p>Talo called Ilia a brat when she was fifteen. Ilia was furious. She had a bad temper, even Mayor Bo had told her that, but she was <em>not<em> a brat. Inside, she was still a princess, beautiful and kind. She told Talo to bug off and went to go see Link. His house was in the trees now, ever since he had moved out of Mayor Bo's house. Ilia sometimes wished her house could be nestled in a tree too. Epona came trotting up to her; Link had let Ilia name her. Ilia shouted for Link to come down because she had something important to ask. Link came down, patiently and obediently, letting Ilia fuss about Talo. "I'm not a brat, am I, Link?"

Link shook his head. "Well, what am I then?" Ilia asked.

Link paused, thinking about it a moment. "My best friend," he said with a small smile. Ilia liked his answer and hurried away to correct Talo.

* * *

><p>Link was sixteen when the world stopped spinning. Ilia was swept away by goblin-looking men and it was like playing pretend all over again. Except she still wasn't a princess. And she couldn't remember wanting to be one—she couldn't remember anything. Not even her knight named Link. It was her curse. She didn't see him when he entered Telma's bar with a bright smile. She didn't see the way his smile shattered and his eyes darkened sadly when she didn't recognize him. She was too busy worrying about Prince Ralis; she'd always had a tender heart at the core of her being. She didn't have time for strangers clad in green.<p>

* * *

><p>When Ilia did remember, she felt guilty. She hated feeling guilty, and Link seemed to always be able to make her feel that way. He'd brought her and Telma safely to Kakariko Village, and even though she'd thanked him, she knew he'd still been hurt that she couldn't remember. "I'm so sorry," she tried to say when she could remember again. He hushed her, letting her know it was alright. His eyes gleamed, the fire of the shaman's house reflecting in them, and she knew he was happy again. He gave her a warm hug and she gave him a promise. She'd be there when he came back. She wanted to go with him, but she knew she'd only get in the way. Like Epona, this adventure was meant for Link and not her. But maybe that wasn't so bad. Maybe she could still be the princess and he could still be the knight. So she went back to Ordon with the other kids to wait to be rescued.<p>

* * *

><p>While Link was away, Ilia worried. She didn't like worrying, but Link tormented her in her dreams. Sometimes he died, his clothes scarlet with his own blood and face covered with scars. Sometimes he vanished with a cloud of smoke, and he never came back to Ordon ever. And sometimes, worst of all, he came back and then left, because he didn't want to live a mundane life as a ranch hand when he could be a fantastic hero. Link had been her only best friend, so she thought maybe that was why she worried. But she knew, deep down, there was a different reason; she just couldn't properly identify it. She had a lot of feelings about Link. He was funny, so he could make her laugh. He was a better rider than her, so he could make her mad. He was a good listener, so he could make her feel at ease with herself. But then there was another feeling, and Ilia really didn't know what it was. But it made her feel warm from her head to her toes, her skin tingly and her head light, whenever she felt it. She felt it the most when she thought about the way Link had hugged her.<p>

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><p>Link did come back. It was a short time after Ilia's return but still far too long. Ilia ran and hid when he got there. The mysterious, unidentified feeling had overwhelmed her as soon as she saw him, and she didn't know what to do with herself as he got closer and closer and she felt hotter and hotter. She ran to the spring, forever her safe haven. But Link knew it too. He asked her what was wrong, her back to him, his voice an echo against the rocks. She told him she didn't know and to leave her alone. He said he wouldn't. Ilia turned around, aghast. Link had always done as she had said—that was the way things were. She told him to go away. He said he wouldn't, he missed her. Ilia said she missed him too and to go away. He didn't say anything, but he stepped closer to Ilia, a shy, boyish smile on his face. Ilia's heart pounded in her chest like a hammer, and she turned to run away again and escape the barrage of emotion. But Link caught her arm—the touch not rough but gentle. He begged her to stay, his voice quiet but desperate, a plea that split Ilia's heart in two. She couldn't move, couldn't think. He stepped closer again, and their noses bumped. He leaned in instead of her this time, and he kissed her. It wasn't uncomfortable. It wasn't sticky. It was magical. He held her hands in his as Ilia's heart fluttered about her chest, feeling as if it would burst. "I love you," he whispered when they were done, his eyes boring into hers with the soft intensity that Link had always had about him.<p>

Ilia knew a little about love, but not very much. She had figured out that there were different kinds of kissing some time after her first kiss with Link. There were goodnight kisses from Mayor Bo and goodbye kisses between Rusl and Uli. And like kisses, she knew there were different kinds of love. She figured Link must be talking about love like Rusl and Uli, or maybe the love of a knight and his princess. She wasn't sure, but she didn't mind learning. Not when Link was smiling at her like she was some kind of ethereal dream and still holding her hands like he was afraid to let her go—as if she'd slip through his fingers like sand. No, she didn't mind learning at all.


	25. Aryll X Komali

**Aryll X Komali chapter, written by Insane, Certifiably**

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><p>Aryll's head snapped up as the tramping of feet and the bellow of voices sounded overhead. The ever-present rocking of the ship, while it hadn't stopped, had lessened.<p>

"Oh good," Niko remarked, "we've docked. Aryll, be a dear and find out where we are? Maybe, I'll finally get a chance to have some fun."

Grateful for the excuse to go above deck, Aryll dropped the sail she was mending and leapt to her feet. The stairs, worn smooth by years of pirates tramping up and down them, passed quickly beneath her bare feet. She burst out onto the deck and into a flurry of activity. The crew was scurrying around, making final adjustments to the ship.

In front of the ship, an island loomed. It was so tall, the Outseter nearly fell over backwards trying to see the top.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Gonzo asked, coming up next to her.

"What is it?" Aryll asked. Hearing the pirate chuckle, she quickly corrected herself. "I mean, I know it's an island, but what's its name?"

"Ah," Gonzo said dramatically, "this, young Aryll, is Dragon Roost Island. Home of the Rito."

The girl rolled her eyes. Gonzo was acting as captain during Miss Tetra's absence, and it was giving him airs.

"Can I go exploring?" Aryll pleaded.

Gonzo glanced up at the sky, then sighed. "I guess so, just don't go too far, it looks like it's going to rain."

Aryll nodded and rushed away before he had time to change his mind. She scurried back downstairs to inform Niko of their location, then ran back top deck to wait, bouncing on the balls of her feet

She was down the ladder as soon as it was lowered, bouncing in her eagerness to explore somewhere new. The pirates grinned as her enthusiasm spread, infecting all in range.

A few rito showed up to barter with the sea dogs, trading for goods. The island girl watched them for a while, but the novelty quickly wore off and she set off across the beach.

A rumble of thunder drew her gaze to the sky overhead. True to what Gonzo had said, the sky was layered with dark clouds, threatening to dump their liquid cargo on the island.

Aryll grinned sunnily at them and raced through the shallows, kicking water every which way and relishing in the squelsh of sand between her bare toes. She loved traveling the high seas with the pirates, a wanderlust she shared with her Big Brother, but nothing quite matched the way wet sand felt on her bare feet.

"What are you doing?" the voice was disbelieving, as though she was dancing in lava instead of the sea.

Aryll stopped splashing around and scanned the beach for the person who'd just addressed her. She'd thought she was alone on the beach. She spotted a figure standing in the tunnel through the island, silhouetted against the far bit of sky, almost hiding.

The girl sloshed out of the water and skipped over to them. As she got closer, she could see him properly. He had white wings and a beak, marking him as a member of the rito, and red eyes the color of the sunset or fire. He was scowling at her.

"Dancing," she replied once she was almost close enough to touch him.

"What?" he asked.

"You asked what I was doing," Aryll explained, "I'm dancing."

"In the water?"

She nodded, mystified by his response. "Haven't you ever danced in the sea?"

He shook his head slowly, still looking at her as though she was crazy. "Rito prefer to stay dry," he stated, as if it was common fact that everyone should know.

Aryll shrugged, decided that he was weird and turned to look at the ship.

"I should be up there with them," he said out of the blue.

"Up where?" she asked.

"There," he replied, pointing at the pirate's ship, "my father still won't let me join in the negotiations, even though I have my wings now."

"I thought you always had your wings," Aryll said.

The Rito boy shook his head. "No, we have to earn them, didn't you know that?"

"How do you earn them?" Aryll asked eagerly, choosing to ignore the last question.

He looked indecisive for a moment, wondering whether or not to share this with her, then caved. "In our thirteenth year, each Rito child has to climb Dragon Roost and get a scale from the great Valoo."

"And that gives you wings?" she asked.

He nodded, warming to the topic. "When we receive our scale, we gain our wings. We fly back to the home cave and are then considered adults."

"What happens if you don't fly back down?" Aryll questioned.

"Terrible things," the boy answered gravely.

The Outsetter popped her head out form under the rock where they were standing to glance up at the dark sky, measuring when the clouds would burst and wash the heaviness out of the air. "I'm Aryll," she told him sticking out a hand, "I'm from Outset."

"Komali," he replied, staring at her outstretched hand in bewilderment, "from Dragon Roost."

"It's called shaking hands," she explained brightly, "you take my right hand in yours and we shake. It's common when meeting a new person. Don't you do that here?"

Komali's seemingly permanent scowl deepened, but he fumbled through a handshake.

"Why don't rito like getting wet?" she asked, referencing his earlier remark.

"Our wings," the red-eyed boy said shortly.

"What about them?" Aryll asked.

"They take forever to dry," Komali said, again in that tone that suggested she, and everyone else, ought to know this.

"Are you always this stuffy?" inquired Ayrll, peering out at the strom clouds again.

He blinked, scowl temporarily lessening. "What?"

"I said, are you always this stuffy?" she repeated impatiently.

"I'm not stuffy!" the rito boy insisted. Thunder boomed out above their heads, and he flinched and scowled out. Aryll beamed up at dark wool clouds and skipped out from under the overhang.

The first few light drops cascaded down to dot the sand and splash against her skin. She laughed and tipped her head back, spinning in a circle as the rain grew heavier until it was pouring. Abruptly, she stopped her aimless spinning, staggering for a second as the world whirled around her. Lightheaded and giddy from the spinning and the rain, she giggled, shaking her sopping hair, and looked around.

Komali was staring at her from under the rock shelf. A mixture of disbelief and shock played across his features and the sight caused her to giggle again. She danced across the wet sand to him, watching the water splash across the beach as she did so.

"Dance with me!" she urged, seizing his hands and pulling him out from under his shelter. She'd been in enough wrestling matches with Big Brother that she knew he could escape her grasp if he desperately didn't want go, but he allowed her to pull him out into the weather.

Aryll pulled him into one the simpler Outset dances. It was easy enough for a beginner, and he was quick to pick up the steps. She whirled them around in the storm, sending water splashing everywhere. They were both soaked to the skin within seconds, hair and feathers shedding water in all directions, but she didn't care.

Komali was finally smiling.


	26. Impa X Zelda

**Impa X Zelda chapter, written by AI Shiteru Soul**

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><p>"Impa." The Sage's head snapped up from the ancient text she was reading, her face impassive as always. The Princess was staring out a large window, leaning on her hand.<p>

"Yes, Princess?" Her voice was rich and deep, a sound that had always comforted the monarch. Zelda sighed, her eyes not focused on the landscape outside. Even after saving the world, her perspective hadn't changed in the slightest. The earth was still a dull brown color, and grass a dark green, and the sky a muted blue. It irked her.

"What do you see when you look outside?" The Sheikah raised an eyebrow. The Princess's voice was off, her tone utterly bored and unamused. She seemed almost careless.

"I see what you see, Princess." The young woman held back a groan. Impa was such a realist sometimes! It was simply infuriating!

"Impa, I did not mean in a literal sense." Her reply was rude, her tone annoyed.

"I apologize, Princess." She said softly. She shut the book. She could read it another time, after all, and it wasn't capturing her attention anymore.

Zelda did not hear Impa until her breath was next to her ear. She shivered at the coolness of her protector's breath. She always seemed cold to the Princess, frozen and detached. I bothered her as a child, but she has become accustomed to it. Even if she hated it with a passion, she could not say a word against Impa. She was too precious to lose.

The women looked out the window together. Impa's crimson gaze roamed the landscape. The sun hung high in the sky, and the tall oaks cast shadows upon the earth. She preferred night, but the Sheikah knew that it was what most would consider a beautiful day.

"So?" Zelda prompted impatiently. Impa restrained herself from laughing. The Princess of Hyrule was so calm and cool around an audience or friends, but in just the company of Impa, her irritable attitude and immature nature shone through clearly.

"I see a sun with passion unchallenged. It defies the calm blue sky full of peace and serenity. The trees sing in the breeze, as the exited grass listens. Feet trample the brown earth of solid feelings, making emotions more concrete." It was poetic for Impa, beautiful in it's own right.

Zelda felt her heart clench. It hurt massively. Impa had always shone with a brighter light than herself. Even as a Sheikah, the Shadow of Hylians, her light was blinding. The warrior had never seen it herself, and most had not a chance to even witness it at all.

"That was amazing." She breathed, looking outside. Impa always changed a view on things. She could make it more realistic, or like a fairytale. Her stories as a child, told by her nursemaid, were always interesting. She had many talents.

More so than even the Princess.

"Thank you, Princess. I am glad you enjoyed it."

They sat in silence for moments, before Zelda turned her face up. Impa was smiling, a warm, real smile that lit up her normally dark face and made her seem soft and caring. The Princess held back a small gasp.

This moment was a present not to be wasted. She studied the Sheikah's face, the deep contours, and crease lines in her forehead. Her eyes were lit ablaze with curiosity and understanding. Her jaw was held loose, not clenched in a strong emotion. She seemed relaxed for once, and aura of tranquility surrounding her. She was breathtaking to the younger woman in that moment, stunning beyond words. She felt her breath catch, her heart pounding in her throat to a fast tempo.

"You're gorgeous, Impa." The words slipped from her lips quietly, and she cursed herself. It was unintentional, but the thought had rolled off her tongue easily, as if it was meant to be said.

The Sheikah looked down, emotions running across her face. Shock, curiosity, confusion, before finally settling on greatly amused.

"Flattering words, Your Highness, but I think people take to you more so than me." Zelda felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment. The woman had taken it as a joke. It hurt the Princess, but other thoughts soon weighed on her mind.

Why had she felt so strange? It was a new sensation, almost like...arousal?

She shook her head, arguing with herself. She couldn't comprehend what was going on with her. She loved Impa, yes, but did she want her as more? Her feelings were jumbled within her head, making a mess of the usually ordered ideas and thoughts.

An even scarier notion passed through her head. What if Impa had noticed her strange behavior?She had always been in tune with the Princess and her moods. If she had found out what she was feeling, how was Zelda to explain-

"Ah, Princess, you have a meeting scheduled soon. I suggest you leave now as to arrive on time." The woman interrupted Zelda's inner musings with a soft voice. Zelda looked into her eyes, her face back to being impassive.

"Yes. Thank you, Impa. I will be leaving now." She stood, her posture stiff and lacking grace. She felt a lock clamp over her heart. She had felt this only once before, when the Hero was sent back ot his time. But why?

When she left, Impa let a sigh escape her lips, slumping against a wall. She had come close to letting her secret slip. Zelda's emotions were mixed and awry, making it hard to gain sense of them.

The older woman closed her eyes, and stood straight. The lock over her heart had remained in place today. It was strong enough to withstand the Princess. At least, for the time being.

She knew, deep in her heart, that her love was unrequited. So she refused to pursue it. Soon, the Hero of Time would return, and snatch her job from beneath her boots.

Her would become her protector, comforter, best friend. And he would take one title she would never dare try and take: her lover.

It made Impa ache inside, but she hid it in the shadows. She still had time left before Link arrived. Before Zelda became love-struck. Before she would be left alone. These last few months would be cherished, a dear gift not to be wasted.

She promised, on the Triforce, that she'd never tell a soul that she loved the Princess more than she should.

Why confess something so pitiful that even the Goddesses looked down upon it? She belonged in the shadows. They could hide her shame. They could hide her from Zelda.


	27. Nabooru X Ganondorf

**NabooruXGanondorf, written by TrinketsForTallTales**

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><p>Due to failure to meet with project guidelines, this chapter has been removed. It will be reposted when it complies with the rules of the Across the Fandom project.<p>

We apologize for the inconvenience. Please enjoy the rest of the project.


	28. Ilia X Ralis

**Ilia X Ralis chapter, written by Klyn Farseer  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Sense and Sensations<strong>

For one moment of clear though Ralis was sure that he felt warm. He wasn't sure _when_ he was in terms of date and time, only that he seemed to need sleep. The warmth though, was frightening to the young Zora prince. Normally his people were... well, not cold but certainly not warm. More in tune with their surroundings, being about the same temperature as the usually temperate climate of their domain.

So being warm was a very bad thing.

His skin felt dry and cracked as he began to move, crunching as the muscles in his arm bunched up. If the warmth from before had worried him, then the state of his skin would surely be enough for him to panic, if only he had the energy to.

Taking a few deep breaths to gather himself he raised an eyelids, which he noticed were not cracked like the rest of his skin. He didn't have much time to ponder though as his eyelids immediately attempted to rebel and shut themselves. They had already retreated halfway to the bottom of his eyes when he was able to control them again, and he forced them open abruptly.

His head swam in pain as his brain was overloaded with stimuli it hadn't received in however long he'd been out. Finally images started to make sense, and he gradually brought his attention to the various pieces of environment around him. There seemed to be a lot of wood and stone, which could only mean he was either among Gorons or Hylians.

His back seemed to be resting against something stiff and solid, while his head was resting on something more comfortable. Inclining his head fractionally to the left allowed him to take a glimpse of a long slab of wood, polished slightly but with a few of blotches of staining. The various glass works on the table were odd, and the way they reflected the dim candle light hurt his head a little more.

He looked straight up now, intent on analyzing the ceiling when his line of sight was interrupted by a face.

Ralis risked blinking a few times to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. The mouth of the decidedly Hylian face was certainly moving, but no noise seemed to be coming out. After that observation though, he also noticed other people around him, all which seemed to be making noise.

Had he gone deaf? He wasn't sure, but he did feel a sweet, cold rag drenched in beautiful water touching his forehead, and he arched his back to move into it. The cold washed over him and his mind filled with images of the most prevelant waterfalls in his homeland.

Still unsure of whether he'd gone deaf or not Ralis decided to try and say his best 'thank-you' in Hylian, but he had no idea whether he'd been successful. The green eyed face above him widened itself slightly, and Ralis felt some corner of his mind wishing that he understood their body language more. He'd need to make sure he...

* * *

><p>The next time that Ralis woke up was a very surreal experience for him. He felt glad that he could hear, but it took him several moments to remember why he felt glad about that. Right, he'd gone deaf before. And this time he couldn't feel anything.<p>

Had he been of a clearer state of mind he may have tried smelling, but as it was the curiosity of such a thing was beyond him. Instead he found himself wondering over this new numbness even as he listened to the sound of wood scraping against wood lightly beneath him.

Deciding to try and figure out where he was now he once again slowly opened his eyes, a task which was sped up slightly by the sound of a horse crying out in fear.

Moving his head without feeling it was a disturbing sensation, but he stomached it and managed to survey his surroundings. The face from before was over to the side of the small room they were in, which he now recognized as belonging to a young Hylian female. Below his feet, again he had to fight the oddness of the situation as he saw himself without feeling himself, he viewed an expanse of green.

Above him was a tarp, and the retreating background led him to believe he was in a wagon of some kind, he'd seen them occasionally as traders would visit the Domain. Alarms went off in his head when he saw a dancing redness at the edge of his vision, but when he turned to look it had gone already.

Confused, Ralis moved his eyes toward the face of the young woman, and he was relieved to see that she too had witnessed the sudden burst of light. "A-are you the one?" He was able to say, his voice sounding weak even in his tired ears.

The woman cocked her head to the side and Ralis wondered briefly what that meant. "What?" she asked in a voice that sounded familiar to him, as though he'd heard it in a dream once.

"D-did you?" Was all he managed to stutter in halted Hylian before he collapsed yet again.

* * *

><p>When Ralis awoke again his back was partially sinking into a fabric and the first thing he noticed was that he was feeling much cooler again. When he realized this he also realized that he was able to feel again.<p>

His body was sore, but Ralis took that as simply another good sign. Really, after losing senses a little unpleasantness was hardly something to feel bad about.

When his eyes started receiving information he found a different face looking at him this time, a younger one with darker fur on its head. "H-hello," the once proud Zora prince cringed inwardly. At no point should he have been so weak as to barely be able to sound out words, whether in his native tongue or not.

The person who seemed to be ministering to him currently took no note of the internal self condemning thoughts. "You've awoken," the child said, stating the obvious. Or maybe the word meant something else? It was hard to tell with Hylian, even at the best of times. "I'll bring some water and food for you. You have reached safety now."

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><p>Rehabilitation, Ralis decided, was a particularly unenjoyable experience once one got over the simple joy of being able to move once again. Twice he had collapsed on short walks throughout the small and abandoned village, though to be fair there was very little moisture in the air in The Kakariko Village.<p>

For a few days he only saw the faces of a few of the village's children, as well as the shaman who had been the one that had brought about the change in his condition.

When he had asked the visitors what had happened to him, they all answered with the same declination of knowledge. Apparently none of the native inhabitants had been involved at all in his rescue, and he had only been brought to the town as it was the only nearby with the capability to treat his people.

"What of the one who brought me here?" He asked one day to the small blond boy as the child walked by him. There were certain circumstances in which very formal showings of gratitude were required, and the saving of the life of the heir to the Zora throne was one of them. Even if he hadn't been the Prince himself he would still have been obligated to show respect for a person or family acting for the safety of the throne.

"Who do you mean?" The young boy asked in response. "Link's the one that made sure you got across the plain safe, but Ilia's the one that took care of you before that, and even that um..." The boy's face changed color to a light red, an act which the Zora equated with flaking of arm scales. "Lady," the boy apparently decided, "Was the one with the wagon and that gave you a place to stay before."

The Zora's felt his arm fins waver. Three people had individually taken it upon themselves to take care of him, without organized effort. Such a thing was very rare, not only for the properties of the number but also the sheer improbability of kindness.

"Whichever one is nearest," the Zora said hesitantly. He wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to make an extra trip around the town, and it would be best anyway to thank them one at a time.

The boy shrugged, "Illia's the only one still in town, over there in the hut closest to the cemetery. She's... lost her memory though, of everything that happened before about a month ago though, so be careful with what you say."

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><p>For the first time that he saw her Ralis was finally able to actually look over his savior, and he was surprised to note how different she looked from most Hylians he'd met. Her build was different than that of the wives of the merchants he had seen, and her hair especially spoke of a very different background.<p>

"Hello," she spoke to him warmly, and Ralis felt something stir in him. The voice... sounded safe, even if the tone sounded unsure.

Ralis gave a bow as deep as was considered proper among his people. "I wished to see the one to who I owe my life," Well, one of the three anyway.

She cocked her head to the side again, and her lips seemed to pull together. "Owe your life?"

He nodded seriously, "The efforts that you made on behalf of the crown were very... admirable. Should there be anything that can be done for you and it is within the capabilities of the Zora people, it shall be done."

The redness crossed her face again, and Ralis felt that stir in his stomach again. It wasn't possible, was it? "You mean, like a life-debt? If you owe anything like that, it shouldn't be to me. Link, the boy in green, he's the one that saved you. And myself."

"You are not doing yourself justice," Ralis pointed out evenly, trying to steer the conversation to the side for a moment so he could examine his feelings. His Mother had often told him tales... But to a Hylian? It _had _happened before among his people, even among the royal line...

The woman continued to look uncomfortable. "All I did was sit around while everyone else did the work."

Ralis shook his head, a gesture he'd picked up from the shortest of the children in the village. "Nonsense. Even if all you did was sit by me, at the very least you risked your life on my behalf in crossing the plain."

The woman still didn't seem to believe him, but at the moment all that Ralis could think of was that, and he wasn't promising anything, but it did seem... possible... that he might enjoy trying to convince this woman that he owed his life to her.

* * *

><p>"I'm worried," Ilia confided in him one day as he visited her in the hut.<p>

"About what?" Ralis asked, genuinely confused. The monsters in the area were maintaining their normal order, giving them no reason to expect them to be either massing forces or finding a way to avoid their defenses. "We're safe here."

Ilia sighed discontentedly, "I know."

Ralis was shocked to see that the eyes of his human companion had started to produce water. Had he done something to upset her?

"What's wrong?" The Ordonian youth gave no show of having heard him, so he tried again. "Tell me? Please?"

Ralis felt a tingle run through him as he saw her start to speak, and almost missed what she said. The fact that she was starting to tell him her thoughts, her fears... Surely Mother would agree that it was momentous!

"It's so dangerous outside of the village," she said simply, leaving him to puzzle his way through the statement.

"If it's protection you're worried about, then I'm sure that the Zora could provide it once we get word to them of my presence."

She smiled at him, and he felt the tingle again. In the weeks he'd been at Kakariko Village, he'd found that he enjoyed that facial expression the most of all. "That's very sweet of you," she remarked kindly. "But it's not me that I'm worried about."

Ralis cocked his head as he'd seen her do so many times when his customs confused her. "What is it then?" he tried to ask patiently. If he could get her to accept his help, that would be sufficient grounds for him to begin sending gifts, granted when he'd returned to the throne and could utilize the correct resources.

"I'm worried about Link," she said, and Ralis felt a sudden sense of dread in his stomach, though he didn't know why the flips had gone. All he had to do was find a way to help Link, and he'd repay both debts _and_ begin to make more progress with Ilia.

"The boy who participated in my safe arrival here?" he asked to be conversational, something that Hylians seemed to value deeply.

"Yes," she said nodding, and her face turned red. The new feeling in Ralis' stomach intensified. "I... don't want him hurt."

The words seemed to hold special meaning for the woman, beyond the obvious. Why would anyone want a friend hurt? Ralis made sure to smile himself as he said so, to take away any insult that the girl might feel at his words.

"Oh," Ilia said, and the blush seemed to deepen. "Well... Ralis, can I tell you something that you can never, ever, tell anyone else?"

Hope seemed to shine through the darkness of his very confused stomach. A secret, so secret and dear to Ilia that she dared not risk him telling a living soul!

"You have my word as Prince of the Zora that I will take it to my grave," he said boldly. Confidence, he had been told, tended to draw support from those around you.

"Thank you," the woman whispered, and then looked around to check for listeners. "I... I think that I may love him. Whenever I see him, I feel so glad that he's safe, and he makes my heart..."

What else she said Ralis was unsure. It took a great deal of effort to remain standing there, and listening to her was simply too much.

* * *

><p>"Link," the Zora boy said calmly as the Hero walked toward him. His debt to the boy would be absolved today. Then he could go on hating the fool in peace.<p>

The smile that the young man sent him only served to strengthen his anger. How dare he... "Ralis. It's good to see that you're doing better!"


	29. Ruto X Sheik

**Ruto X Sheik chapter, written by msfcatlover**

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><p>She stood behind her father as he greeted the caravan, peering out around him. The tall woman, with silver hair and facepaints, also had someone standing stoically beside her: a boy in tight dark blue clothes, a mask pulled up over his chin, staring straight ahead. The woman, Impa, introduced him as her apprentice. Sheik.<p>

Her father beamed at their guests. "What a pleasure! This is my daughter, Princess Ruto! Ruto, darling, this young man looks about your age, why don't you two go play?"

She scowled at the boy, whose eyes widened slightly above his mask. "Father!" the girl snapped, at the same time as Sheik blurted out, "My duties…!"

The king laughed. "Nonsense! You are children; what is the purpose of youth if not to have fun?" The boy shot a panicked look at his mentor, but the woman smirked in a way that seemed to make him deflate. He carefully put down the scrolls he'd been carrying and stepped to the side.

Ruto huffed. "Fine!" she growled, hopping down from the royal ledge. Purposefully not looking at him, she addressed Sheik. "The fishing hole's this way."

Halfway down the tunnel, she began to suspect he'd remained in the throne room, and cast a scornful glance over her shoulder. The princess was brought up short by the sight of the Sheikah boy sulking along behind her, absolutely silent. She turned sharply to face forwards again, a hot blush bursting across her face.

_I look like a fool!_

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

The next year they were back. This time, when her father ordered them to go play, she and Sheik actually tried fishing, instead of just sitting gloomily beside the pool. Ruto was horrified to discover that the boy was better at it than she was.

"How do you do that?" she demanded, floundering about with a bottle while he clasped a panicked minnow in the bowl of his hands. His eyes crinkled in a manner that suggested there was a very smug smile hidden beneath the mask.

"Practice and training. Lots of it."

Every day after the caravan left, she practiced in the fishing pool. By the time he returned, she could almost, almost, pull it off as smoothly as he could.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

She was never sure when it had stopped being a rivalry and become a friendship, but within a few years she introduced him to Jabu-Jabu. He stared at the guardian for a long time before announcing, "Well, it's certainly a big fish. I don't think I could catch one of _these_ to save my life."

The princess elbowed him. Hard. "Stupid, I'm not asking you to catch him! Jabu-Jabu looks out for us and protects our waters, and sometimes he needs company. And ignorant boy you may be, but I thought you'd understand. Idiot."

He nodded, too used to her insults to notice. After a long period of looking thoughtful, the Sheikah mused, "You know, a fish this big? I bet you could crawl around inside, come back out, and he'd never even realize. Who knows what he's swallowed over the years? Maybe there's treasure…"

"Maybe it smells!" she retorted. Sheik gave her a _look._

"Of course it'll smell, but I doubt you'd _notice_ after a while. Besides, you could just jump in the water and wash it right off."

Ruto stuck her nose in the air with a disgusted sniff, but she began to appraise in her mind the sorts of things you'd need to undertake a trip like that.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

"Ruto!"

The Zora shoved her frenzied letter into a bottle, and dropped that into a pouch hanging from her waist. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called back to her rescuer. It didn't take long for him to come into view, wide-eyed, sullen and soaking wet. She began to warn him of the slope, but then his feet were up over his head, and he was skidding…

Somehow, the boy landed on his feet. He glared at her. "You are a brat."

"And you're a moron!" she snapped back. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Saving you."

The panic of a short while ago was completely gone, replaced by an irritated sort of resentment. "Who says I need to be rescued?"

"The fact you left your rope back by the teeth," he muttered, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around to place her hands on his own guide line. He showed her how to go hand over hand up a rope, picking up the slack right behind her. She blushed in humiliation all the way out.

That night, her father told her the story of a beautiful princess who was saved by a hero, and their happily ever after. Ruto swore to herself that someday she'd marry someone like that.

A belated afterthought on the day's events made her swear it wouldn't be Sheik.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

She never really understood why she gave away the sapphire. The boy was young and sweet, and he really did _try_ to be her hero, but at the same time…he didn't make her heart leap. He didn't make her blush from anything but frustration. He was too much like Sheik for comfort, really, but so much more polite, so much more soft-spoken. Still, she was engaged, and she was going to brag about it.

The next year, Sheik didn't come back. She was told he'd gotten a job at the palace shortly after they left the domain.

And, of course, everyone knew what had happened at the castle.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

Neither of them came back. She waited and waited, and they never came back. After two years, she gave up on her fiancé, accepting his loss with barely a shrug, but still she waited for her friend. After five, she finally forced herself to acknowledge his death, and locked herself in her room to cry in peace. She remained there for a week.

For the next year and a half, her father paraded suitors past her as she stared past them, wishing for bright red eyes, a sharp comment in a voice that wasn't afraid to share what it thought, silently pining for quick, warm-blooded hands.

The irony of the situation completely escaped her.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

The hands that saved her from the ice were cold, but her own skin was so chilled they felt burning hot. She was screaming in pain before she even realized her chest was no longer so compressed she couldn't breathe. The moment she stopped for air, she fainted.

When she came to, it was to a crackling fire and the smell of roasting fish. She lay in what felt like a sleeping bag for a long moment, savoring the feeling of being warm and cozy, before sitting up and declaring, "What's for breakfast?"

"What," a soft, sharp, _smug_ voice asked, "no thank you?"

Ruto's eyes snapped open, and met a pair of bright red ones, smiling at her from above his mask across the flames. They stared at each other for a long moment before she snapped, face flushing bright red.

"You…you…" They stared at each other for a long moment before she snapped, face flushing bright blue.

"You _idiot!_"

He sighed. "It's good to see you too, Princess."

"I thought you were _dead!_" Ruto raged, "I waited for _years_ and you _never_ came back! What, you couldn't even send a Din-blessed _letter?_ Did you _ever_ for a _moment_ think, 'Oh, I had a job in the castle and it got _sacked_; maybe I should let people know I survived?'"

"Ganon–"

"I don't give a damn what mister high-and-mighty Ganondorf thinks! Why didn't you–"

He leapt to his feet, eyes flashing with rage. "I was _surviving,_ Princess, that's why! I was _there_, I was a _witness!_ I saw it all, and if there was _any_ sign that _any_one might know where I was, there was no doubt in my mind that the full force of his wrath would crack down on them. And look; I came out of _seven goddess-damned years_ of hiding to help the gods-cursed _Hero of Time,_ and you know what happens? My hometown in under _siege!_ Impa's fighting _demons!_ Everywhere I go, bad luck is right on my heels! I came here when I heard what happened, I spent my last rupee on Blue Fire to get you out of there, and _still_ had to dig through a good foot of ice with my hands! I risked my life to get you out of there, and if all you have for me is a lecture on my _manners_, well then you can just _shut the dark up!_ Farore, Nayru and Din!"

He'd yelled at her.

He'd actually yelled at her.

Ruto smiled a very teary smile.

"It's good to see you, Sheik. I'm glad you're alive. Now, can you pass me that fish?"

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

It took a while for her to notice the differences in her friend. He'd always been lean, but now he was slender, and though he was taller than her, he didn't tower over her the way some of her suitors did. His hair was longer, mostly hiding one of his eyes, and cloths draped the front and back of his suit.

_Absence makes the heart grow fonder,_ she thought, feeling hers skip a beat somewhere in her chest.

After hiding her from Ganon, he went back to his mission. She found herself sobbing again after he left, not knowing if he'd ever come back. However, it didn't take long for her thoughts to turn to helping him, and from there to the water temple.

She struck out.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

It was strange, she thought, that her fiancé, also rediscovered, the Hero who'd saved her life, inspired none of the feelings she associated with love. As they traveled the temple, she realized how little he knew about the man, and wondered if it was really such a good idea to marry him. More and more, she began to feel as if she'd done it to prove something, on some childish concept that a princess should marry her hero, a man who saved her life…even though, technically, her life hadn't been in danger when she met Link…

The train of thought brought her to a point that brought her up short. The ghostly feeling of the ice rushed over her body in a shiver.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

"Where's Sheik?" the Zora asked, searching the crowd for her friend.

"She's right over there."

_She?_

Ruto's eyes followed the man's finger to a young blonde in a beautiful blue dress. Her long hair was pulled back in a braid, and she was wearing a white, Gerudo-style veil. Her skin was dark, and her eyes…

Her eyes…Ruto knew she'd know them anywhere. Her heart leapt, and for some reason she felt betrayed.

"Excuse me," she whispered, pushing her way out of the circle of people before the stranger with red eyes could spot her.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

"Hey."

"…"

"Hey."

"…"

"Hey, brat, aren't you going to look at me?"

Ruto kept her back stiff, refusing to acknowledge the person she'd thought was her friend.

"You know, Princess, it's not going to kill you to meet my eyes."

She sighed, working harder than she thought she should have to to stay angry.

"You're a girl."

"Well, yeah."

There was a long pause. In her mind's eye, Ruto could see those red eyes light up in sudden understanding.

"You thought I wasn't?"

"You never said." Her voice was reproachful, biting. Her friend's was merely surprised.

"I didn't think I had to!"

No response.

"Is it a problem or something, Princess?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I don't know you."

A huff of exasperation. "Nay-_ru_, Ruto! It's not like Sheik's just got up and gone away; I'm still right here! It's just a pronoun!"

_But it's not!_ she wanted to scream, _It's not! I can't __**date**__ a girl, I can't __**marry**__ a girl, I can't even __**love**__ a girl!_ Her heart begged to differ, from the way it was breaking, but she told it very firmly to shut up.

A hand pressed against her shoulder.

"I was more myself with you then anyone else." Sheik's voice carried a hint of accusation, a faint tinge around the edges. "Ask anyone. I'm sorry you can't see that, Princess."

There was no sound, but somehow she knew the Sheikah had left.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

It made no sense for her to follow the other girl's instructions, but she did. She asked, and what she got back was shocking. "Cold," they told her, "stoic." "Strong and dependable," she already knew, but "suspicious," surprised her. Words she'd never have thought of mixed together into a portrait of someone completely different from the Sheik she thought she knew. And so many of them thought the blonde was a boy, she caught herself assigning the traits to two different forms of her friend. She scolded herself, and promptly merged the two images, but for some reason it ended up with that veiled face, instead of the masked one she'd always known.

She realized she really had known Sheik better than anyone else could even _begin_ to claim to.

Her heart skipped a beat for the first time in months.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

The caravan came back two years after the disaster passed. A single blue-clad figure slipped away, pausing to check her appearance in the mirror-like surface of the central pool, before stepping across the ledge into the tunnel. She hadn't been here since she was ten, but the path was familiar beneath her feet.

The straight-backed Zora queen perched on the edge of the old pedestal where the huge fish used to sprawl, waiting for some worshiper to drop a fish before it. She remembered clambering around, on, and in it with a young, bright-eyed, stubborn brat of a princess, and laughing. She felt her face heat beneath her cowl.

Sheik cleared her throat.

"It doesn't make any sense, does it?" Ruto asked.

"I'm not a mind reader, Princess."

"I don't know you as well as I thought I did, but it's more than anyone else. We grew up together, but I never realized what you were. I don't trust you, but I…" The woman sighed, burying her face in her hands. "…Why did you leave?"

"You were getting married," the blonde told her, shrugging. "I didn't want to stick around for that. And, of course, then there was the whole incident at the castle, and well…"

"He's a good man, right? Strong, kind, polite…"

"Hero of Time," Sheik suggested, feeling her stomach drop. Ruto nodded quickly, showing how important she seemed to feel this was.

"Right, a hero. And he sort of saved me. We should have our happily ever after now, right?"

"If that's what you want Princess–"

"But that's just it!" The Zora spun around, fins flaring anxiously. "It's _not!_ I don't _want_ to marry him anymore! He's a complete stranger, and I can't imagine _ever_ being happy with him, can you believe it?"

"Actually, yes," she laughed, offering a leather pouch to her friend. "Link's a sweet guy, if not really my type. He said you'd be wanting this back."

Ruto placed her hands on it, eyes wide, already knowing what was within. After a long moment, she looked up, meeting those laughing, pleading red eyes for the first time in so long.

"What…what is your type?"

"Meh. Not really into _guys_, if you know what I'm saying. Got a bit of a thing for the color blue, in case you couldn't tell. Blue clothes, blue hair, blue eyes…"

"Blue skin?"

The Sheikah's gaze turned sharp, surprised by how shy Ruto suddenly sounded. "Maaaaybe," she said, trying to make it sound like a joke.

Ruto peered at her, nervous and jittery, and saw all the confusion and hurt and warmth in the woman's face, and suddenly realized her heart had made a decision without consulting the rest of her. She looked at the pouch between their hands, and sighed.

"You know," she murmured, "I've put a lot of thought into what I'd've done with this thing if I hadn't given it to Link."

Slowly, deliberately, she lifted her hands off the cloth and stepped back.

"You keep it. If you want to, of course."

Sheik looked from Ruto to the sapphire and back, before her eyes slowly crinkled up into a smile. "Of course."


	30. Link X Sheik

**Sheik X Link chapter, written by The-world-needs-peace**

* * *

><p>Deep in the dark shadows of the Cathedral, the organ played. The great King of Evil smiled at his instrument, content and triumphant as the shining rosy quartz hovered above the stairs to his organ. Inside, a warrior wrapped in blue battle gear and silver bandages rested. His visible eye was closed, and his arms crossed over his chest as he listened to the organ play.<p>

"I must admit, your ploy was a clever one," spoke the player. "To think that you were hiding in plain sight all this time."

The warrior said nothing, but remained in his standing sleep.

"But really, is the disguise still necessary? I think it would just be easier if we were more _honest_ with each other."

Still, the warrior said nothing.

"Suit yourself, your highness. The matter will be settled soon."

In the crystal, the warrior's hand twitched.

_I already knew the truth_-

The door banged opened. Link panted from the long climb, and he gasped when he finally looked upon the scene.

"Princess Zelda!"

The warrior's fists clenched before he dropped his hands. The hero stopped, and stared in confusion at his hand. A strange hum prickled his hand, and he watched as the golden triangle appeared. Ganondorf finally ceased his playing.

"The Triforce parts are resonating… They are combining into one again… The two Triforce parts that I could not capture on that day seven years ago… are so close within my reach!" He straightened from his position. "But what I find curious is that her highness can still keep her piece hidden away, even now as the other two pieces call each other."

He stood from his bench, and shoved the bench away with his foot before strolling out to the top of the stairs. "So tell me, Zelda: What magic do you use to hide it away?"

Now both looked upon the calm warrior.

"Within the shadows, the mind will play tricks," he said, "Friends will be mistaken for foes, foes as friends." He held up his right hand, and his left meticulously untied and unraveled the bandage from his hand. "Yet if one takes the time to shine a light upon the darkness, then you will clearly see:" he opened his crimson eye, and locked gazes with Link as the bandage finally fell away. "The truth is not always as we wish it to be."

His hand was blank.

"What?" Ganondorf shouted. "Impossible! The hero himself identified you. This- this must be some trick!"

Link looked to the warrior in shock. "But… how…?

Ganondorf swept his arm across, his cape swishing behind him, and the crystal vanished. The warrior landed fluidly, and remained in his crouch, his back to the oncoming enemy. Ganondorf stormed toward him.

"I'll ask you again, princess! Where is the Triforce?"

The moment the warrior spun around, a hail of needles pierced the giant man. He jumped, and immediately went in for a reign of punches.

"Heed my words well, evil king: I am _not_ Zelda." The warrior spat, and reached under his armor to whip out a chain that caught Ganondorf's left arm. "My _name_ is Sheik!"

Link stared, stunned as he watched the lithe warrior fall into battle. He could not understand. He thought for sure he had figured it out. If that was not Princess Zelda, then why…?

"Link."

He jumped and turned around. And there, was the standing figure of Zelda, clothed in the royal robes of her title.

"…Princess. What's going on? Why are you here?"

"I don't understand what's happened," she said quickly. "Something went wrong with he plan, and we'll find out later. But right now, there's something I must give you if you are to have a chance of defeating the evil king."

Link watched, still stunned, and grappling with the new reality, even as Zelda held out her hands, and bathed them both in a holy light, to give him the weapon he needed to help banish the evil from afar.

Sheik jumped and kicked the taller man's jaw hard enough to activate his fainting reflex. He crumpled. Sheik looped his arm with a flourish and retracted his chain as he landed, but held onto it, drawing it taut with both hands. He did not look away from the king even as Link ran up to join him.

"Sheik," he breathed, "Are you all right?"

"Quiet! Don't you _dare_ speak!" he screamed, and Link stumbled back. "I don't want to hear your words of concern for _my_ well being!"

Link winced. "Sheik, I'm sorry, I made a mistake-"

"I think that's been _perfectly_ stated already, thanks to this mix-up!" He stormed to tower over the cringing Link. "Words cannot begin to describe how much you infuriate me right now!"

"Sheik, wait!" The princess hurried over and flew in between them. "This isn't like you! Calm your anger!"

Sheik ignored her, glaring at the fighter behind her. "Shove aside your own petty grievances, and focus on defeating Ganondorf _now_ while he's out!"

Too late. The man whipped his arm out, and a torrent of dark energy shot out to both fighters. Link was heavier and on the bottom of the steps, so all he did was slide back a few feet. Zelda, being closer, slid back as well, and Link caught her and held on to keep her grounded. But Sheik was smaller, lighter, and not grounded, so the attack sent him sailing. The stained glass shattered from his impact, and he vanished as he crashed down the floor on the other side.

"Sheik!" Link and Zelda shouted in tandem.

Zelda cried out when a flash of light separated the hero and princess, and she found to her horror that she was now captured in the very crystal that had trapped the warrior not too long ago.

"I don't know what you're trying to pull," Ganondorf seethed. "But I will get the pieces from you, if I have to rip them out of your dying hands!"

"Link," Navi groaned. "I'm sorry, this dark energy is too much. I can't get near him!"

The fighter cursed as he drew his sword. The crystal rose and flew back from the arena, as the opposing forces prepared for the fight.

Outside the cathedral, among the shards of color and shimmer, the warrior of shadows pushed himself from the floor. He looked through the broken window. The battle had begun, the Princess was captured, everything was as it should be. Zelda had been trained, and Link surely would be victorious. They would be all right, Sheik thought, as he hissed and his hand went to his side, just on the edge of a gash. Besides, he was never supposed to be here in the first place.

_I already knew the truth_-

You knew nothing, Sheik thought savagely. You stupid, ignorant child.

He turned away and started the long journey down the steps, pulling out two needles to prepare to pluck out the glass pieces embedded into his skin.

The battle was a difficult one, but one in which the hero was victorious. Navigating their way through the crumbling structure, the hero and princess escaped to safety, meeting the shadow warrior outside. But Ganondorf had been so tainted by hatred, it warped him into a monster. The battle continued, until the hero defeated him again, this time with Navi's aid. The seven sages gathered their strength, and sealed away the evil beast into the Sacred Realm, giving the land a much needed respite.

But despite their victory, a heavy pall weighed upon the three saviors in the rubble.

Link sheathed his sword. When he finally turned to face the pair on the outcropping, his own sad expression was mirrored on theirs.

"So, do I get an explanation?" he asked listlessly.

"Link," Zelda started, "This is Sheik. He had been my body guard since I was a young girl. When the war started, he acted as the lookout. But soon I was dissatisfied to be in hiding for so long. I used Sheik's identity to roam the land myself. I joined them in the land's protection right under Ganondorf's nose. Sometimes I would roam, sometimes Sheik. I was planning to reveal the truth to you, but I never received the signal." She looked between the two beside her. "Now _I_ need an explanation. What happened at the temple? Why did we not switch?"

"It seems the great hero figured out our plan. Half of it, anyway," Sheik said in a strained voice. "Apparently, he knew you donned the disguise."

"But how?" She asked Link.

"I… in Kakariko, when I was recovering from the attack, I heard your voice." he said softly. " and somehow became Sheik's voice. I thought it was a dream, for the longest time, but the more I considered it, the more it seemed to make sense, and I… that was both of you, wasn't it?"

"So you were actually aware of yourself," Sheik said lowly. "We should have been more careful."

"Sheik, I'm sorry," Link said again. "I didn't know, I just thought-"

"What did I tell you before?" he snapped. "I know what you thought, and it doesn't matter. What's done is done."

Link grew quiet, but his hopeless stare to the floor was lost.

"But what did you do?" Zelda insisted.

"I have been waiting for you, Link."

Link froze on top of the platform at the low, androgynous voice. He knew he would find her here, yet to still feel the truth was something he could never prepare for. He turned, his heart hammering in his chest as he saw the bandaged figure before him.

"Link, the Hero of time. You have overcome many hardships, and awakened six sages."

She was in a gentle mood today. He was glad. As frustrating and endearing he found her occasional edge, this would make it much easier to talk with her. Then again, she had been going a lot easier on him, as more time passed.

"And now you have a final challenge, a showdown with Ganondorf, king of evil. Before that, I have things I want to tell only you."

"There are things I want to tell you too," Link said, "if you'll let me."

"We do not have much time," she replied. "But I will listen to any questions you might have."

"Of course."

She spoke of the legend of the Triforce, of the imbalanced heart that would threaten to tear apart the sacred triangle and turn the sacred realm into a place of evil. As she spoke, he approached her, his mind already piecing together the truth of Ganondorf's heart and the result of his ambition. And as he considered the legend, he thought of the mark he had found on the back his hand after he had exited the sacred realm. So Sheik merely told him something he had already known, when she told him he bore the Triforce of Courage.

Sheik looked down. "I… wish to apologize, Link. I know this journey has not been easy for you, and no doubt the Princess's whereabouts have worried you all this time. But Gannondorf's eyes and ears are everywhere. For the final chosen destined, who holds the Triforce of Wisdom, is the seventh sage, who is destined to be the leader of them all."

Link took a few more steps to the bandaged figure, though Sheik did not dare look upon him.

"It was necessary to hide the truth from you. Please, forgive-"

A gentle finger halted her lips. Surprised, Sheik finally looked up. Link smiled softly.

"I understand," he said. "She did what she needed to survive, right?"

She was frozen on the spot, as Link's finger hooked into the bandages, and slipped them down. She had a long, regal nose, and a jaw line that was strong, making her sharp, but not scarily so. Her lips were pale, and parted from the interruption of her words. She did nothing, and the crimson eye that was usually so cool and guarded was bright and wide. And still she did nothing, when he leaned over to place a gentle kiss on her lips.

This is unreal, Sheik wondered. I knew he had stolen my heart. Could it really be that I had his without even realizing?

His eyelids fluttered closed, before he tilted his jaw and kissed him back. Link finally pulled away, with a tiny smile.

"I already knew the truth, Zelda."

And then the disappointment came crashing in enough to suffocate him. _Zelda_.

A loud rumble jolted them both from their stance. They both gasped when a shimmering pink wall materialized between them, and encased Sheik in a hard crystal.

"Zelda!" Link shouted as he pounded on the crystal.

Sheik could hardly hear him. Not even Ganondorf's voice magically projected over them could shake Sheik from his stupor. All he could see the desperation and frustration on Link's face as he tried in vain to break the crystal to free him.

"Zelda!"

To free _her_. _She_ was the one he wanted. He said that same name, over and over, with those terrified and desperate eyes. Even as the crystal rose, and Link called out, he still repeated her name. And the only thing Sheik could think of, even when the switch had been ruined, even though he had been captured, was that Link did not even know he _existed_.

All he could do, when he appeared before Gannondorf and endured his taunts, was slip back his bandages, bring himself back up, and wait. For the truth would be revealed soon enough. And he would have to play his part.

Zelda stared, stunned at the tale that had just been told. "I… you're saying you…"

"He kissed me," Sheik spat. "Thinking I was _you_."

"Then, you're saying…" Zelda turned to him uncertainly. "Then, does that mean you are in love with me?"

Link winced. "I… I don't know. Was it Sheik the whole time?"

"No. Like I said, sometimes it was Sheik, other times, it was myself. But, he was the first one you met, after you exited the sacred realm."

The one that spurred his suspicion, but gave him the knowledge he needed. He nodded slowly. "Then, in the lost woods?"

"That was me. I was the one who taught you that song. And when you exited, I… was the one that told you about returning the sword to the pedestal."

"A foolish action spurred by pity," Sheik scoffed. "You could have decided to leave the future for years, for all we knew. I would have told you later, when I knew you could be trusted."

Then it was she who showed him kindness, and gave him a relief of his burden. And a necessary tool for later in his journey. Link furrowed his brow. "Then, in Death Mountain?"

"That was me," Sheik answered, "I could not trust her alone with you again, just yet."

The one who forced himself to stand the heat, and dangerous eruptions without a Goron tunic to protect himself, in order to bring him what he needed.

"Then the ice caves in Zora's domain?" he turned to the princess carefully. "That was…?"

"That was I." Zelda agreed.

The one who had saved Ruto from an icy sleep, and told him the secrets of the lakebed, giving him easy passage after a hard trek through unforgiving ice.

"Then…" he tried to figure out the patterns of behavior. "After the curse was lifted from the temple… the one I asked to stay behind to teach me the Prelude of Light again…" He finally looked up to Sheik. "That was you, wasn't it?"

The one who praised his efforts, and who turned around and scolded him for being so careless to forget, and sat down to bring him up to speed again. The one who grew more and more annoyed the less he got it, and was finally relieved to leave.

"…right. It was."

"Then the one in Kakariko was Zelda."

"No," Sheik said softly. "I was overwhelmed and careless, and let you get hurt. I had to call Zelda to use her light to banish the darkness that threatened you."

"That's why…" Link murmured. "You were both there. That's why I could hear you both as I drifted in and out of sleep."

"And how you came to such a conclusion, I suppose," Sheik murmured.

The one who brought him to safety, so that the princess might heal his wounds.

"…I don't understand," he finally bemoaned, and grabbed his head in frustration. "If you both were the ones helping me, then _who am I in love with_?"

"I should think that would be obvious," Sheik said coolly. "You only loved my actions when you thought they were Zelda's."

"But I thought they were _yours_," he explained in exasperation. "I only thought you were the Princess after I-" He stopped himself, suddenly realizing it was more than he wanted to say. "This is… I…"

"Link," Zelda said softly. "I'm sorry that this happened. This is all my fault. I was so young at the time, and could not comprehend the consequences for my own actions. And now you have suffered for it as well. I hate to have to say this to you now, but we don't have the luxury to wallow in these unfortunate circumstances. This is not yet complete. You must lay the Master Sword to rest. However, by doing this, the road between times will be closed…"

The road… to times… he looked up at her somber face. But whenever he put the sword back in the stone, he…

"Link…" she held out her hand. "Give me the ocarina. As a Sage, I can return you to your original time with it."

The princess and shadow warrior looked at him expectantly. Link looked to his pouch. Of course. The treasure was never his to begin with. And once he returned it, she would take him back to a simpler time, when he did not have to worry so much about these complications. Yet even as he opened the bag and pulled it out, he felt as though he was giving up a part of himself. Ganondorf was gone now, away and sealed… so why was there a dark cloud of foreboding hanging over him? He held out the piece, and she lay her hand over his.

"Peace has returned to Hyrule. It is time for us to say goodbye." She held it close to her heart. "Go home, Link. And regain your lost time. Home, where you are supposed to be. The way you are supposed to be."

A normal boy. Not a kokiri living in the forest, but a little Hylian boy that would grow again into a man. But once he returned… where would he return to?

He looked to Sheik, almost traitorously, afraid to see his judging eyes.

He was not looking at him. In fact, he was ignoring him completely.

"Sheik," he said softly, "I'm sorry."

"Go home, Hero," he said, "Where you belong."

He winced, even as the song's notes brought about a feeling of nostalgia. This was the song that had started everything. And this would be the song to end everything. "I just wanted you to know, it wasn't because I thought you were the princess. It was why I asked you to stay behind to teach me, and why I wanted to stay close to you. I treasured our companionship, and I started craving your company."

Sheik seemed to flicker a moment, before he hardened his features again. "Your reasons don't concern me."

Link held back his anger as the song drew to a close. "But they do to me. Will you not even look at me?"

He snapped his hard eyes to him, "Crave my company? Then it was no more than petty childish affection!"

"Stop calling me a child!" The blue crystal formed around him, and he kept his glare, even as went aloft. "Thinking you were the princess relieved me- _relieved_ me! It wasn't petty! Do you really think it's impossible I felt something? That maybe I wanted more than just companionship from you? Why do you insist on belittling my efforts?"

But the warrior still refused to look upon him, even as he vanished into the river of time.

Navi left as well. He should not have been surprised. Perhaps once it sunk in, he would grieve her absence. But at this moment, he could not bring himself to care.

He trudged into the light of the busy market day, all of the people chattering yelling, bustling, and doing everything he felt the opposite of doing. Well, this was it, where he belonged. His original time.

Wait… "original"?

It was only belatedly he thought back as he walked through the doors that he did not see the shining stones on the alter. He checked his pouch automatically, and gaped. Empty. Save for the Kokiri emerald. That meant…

He tore down the cobblestone to the castle, to know for himself if this was as he suspected. And when he saw the back of the small princess's form, peering through the window and giving him a sense of nostalgia, a tiny blossom of hope lifted his heavy heart.

I can stop this, he realized. I can prevent this all from happening.

So he told her who he was and how he had arrived there. He showed her the Emerald, but warned of what was to happen, should they gather the other two stones. Though it took a little convincing, and a little persuasion, the little princess could not deny the passion and the determination that fueled the boy that acted beyond his years.

Link should have felt relief, after the princess assured him that they would find anther way of dealing with Gannondorf. But the more he spoke, and the more he realized he had to avoid certain details, the heavier his heart became. By the end of his tale, he was back to the heavy pall that plagued him when he first exited the temple.

But now Navi's absence had sunk in. Leaving because they were no longer bound by his purpose. Was that all this was to her? A duty? He wanted to know. He had to know. He had to go back to the forest and find her again, and demand that she return, if he had to.

He turned to leave- and halted when he saw Sheik.

No, it was not Sheik. It was Impa, that had landed behind him without a sound, wearing the same colors Link had gotten so used to seeing on the other shadow warrior, which had startled him at first glance. Slowing his heart, he stepped down the stairs and trudged around the ring of flowers in the middle of the courtyard.

He's not here, Link reminded himself. He's not a part of this-

_He has been my body guard since I was a young girl._

He halted. His pulse quickened. Was the princess not a young girl now? He looked back at her, as though confirming his own question. She had her curious eyes upon him. He looked up to Impa who was peering down at him expectantly.

"Is Sheik here?"

Both of the women gasped. They looked to each other, then at him. Impa looked down at him thoughtfully.

"I suppose, from the tale you just told, that you have also met him in the future, since no one besides the royal family and myself even know of his position here, am I right?"

Link could only nod.

"Do you have news to give him as well?"

Link's mouth went dry. He looked down, almost guiltily. "I… just want to see him."

Impa looked at him, slightly suspicious. "If there's nothing important for you to tell him, I'd rather-"

Link heard him. A slight rustle in the grass behind him that signaled his approach, that was loud compared to Impa's grace, and the poise of Sheik and Zelda as fully trained adults. But here in this time, with the young Sheikah boy still in training, he was quiet, but not soundless. He stopped breathing.

"It's all right, Impa," came the voice behind him. "I am be able to handle as much as her highness. I'll hear what he has to say."

Spoken like a true warrior. Link's throat constricted as his heart raced, and he turned around, almost expecting this to be a dream. But there, unmistakably this time, was Sheik. He was smaller of course, not as defined, and rather thin with boyhood. His face was uncovered, but his hair was kept short and trimmed, closer to the shape of his head. And his eyes, still crimson though they were, did not have that same sharp, critical stare that Link had become so used too.

The boy, Sheik, crossed his arms and watched him expectantly. "State your business, Hylian. I should not be out in the open like this unless it's for a good reason."

Link burst out laughing. The onlookers watched warily as the boy clutched his belly and he doubled over. Sheik's face turned red when he realized this near stranger was standing there, laughing at _him_. The grip on his arms tightened and he leaned back slightly, resisting the urge to sock him.

"I don't see what's so funny," he snapped.

"You haven't changed at _all_!" Link laughed. "Oh man, it's like I never left. And to hear a kid talking so serious like that… I had always wondered if you were trained into a stickler, or were born like that." he broke off into chuckles again. "Now I know for sure."

Somehow, the answer just infuriated Sheik more. He stomped forward. "_Listen_, you-!"

"Easy, easy," Link held up his hands in a placating offer, getting his chuckles to die down. "I was just laughing at this whole thing."

"Don't treat me like a kid!"

The other boy blinked, surprised at the blunt language, compared to what he was used to.

"I'm a body guard in training to her highness," Sheik spat, "I'm not just a 'kid', so quit calling me that!"

Link took a good look at the young face, still painted red, his eyes shining with anger, and embarrassment. And maybe, just a little frustration, and hurt at his wounded ego. Link watched, the boy fidgeting to trying to bring his emotions back under control. Funny, even the last time he saw him, he seemed to make him only angry. Despite everything that had happened, everything that he owed to the shiekah, he had only broken his heart. What a fine result of gratitude.

"I'm sorry," Link said suddenly, much softer. "You're right. Even if you're young, you have a lot of responsibility right now, don't you?"

Sheik, better placated, relaxed. "That's right. It's fine, just don't do it again."

"I won't. I know too well how strong you'll become." Link smiled a little ruefully. "I wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for you. I owe you my life. Thank you, Sheik. For saving me."

Sheik stared, caught off guard by the sudden change of direction the conversation took. He swallowed once, a little nervously, feeling heady at the sense of pride welling within him. He did not question the validity of the statement, seeing for himself the sincerity behind the words.

He smiled back. "You're welcome."

And Link was struck speechless. He dove forward to the defenseless sheikah. A resounding gasp echoed from the courtyard. The little princess slapped her hands over her mouth.

"Link!" Impa snapped. "Just what is the meaning of this?"

Link pulled back, his lips pulling into an impish, toothy grin. "It's a thank you."

"How-" Sheik squeaked. His fingers went up to his mouth, and forced his voice back to normal. "How is _that_ a thank you?"

"Don't worry," Link turned and winked at him. "You'll understand when you're older."

"What did I say about treating me like a kid?" Sheik snapped, just as Link laughed and ran away. "Hey! I'm talking to you, Hylian!" He yelled back as he took off after him. "Get back here!"

"Sheik!" Impa called after him. "Hold it right there, you mustn't be seen!"

So the Sheikah boy stopped running, his hands clenched as he glowered with as much anger as he could muster at the green figure tearing down the stone of the hall connecting to the courtyard. He stopped and turned, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"And my name is Link!" he shouted back, grinning like a fool. "And don't you forget it this time!"

"Who would _want_ to remember you?" Sheik retorted.

"I'll be leaving soon," Link insisted instead. "Just wait for me, I promise I'll be back."

"I don't _want_ you back!" Sheik yelled, but the boy already turned and left.

"Sheik," Impa interrupted calmly. "As infuriating as his actions have been, you must control your anger. It's not well for a shadow warrior to lose his head."

Sheik nodded stiffly, knowing Impa's words rang true, no matter how much he wanted to hunt down that boy. Next time, he would definitely keep his head. Next time, he'd challenge Link to a fight, and show him what for.

Next time, he'd force a kiss onto _him_ and see how _he_ liked it.


	31. Ruto X Link

**Ruto X Link chapter, written by Insane, Certifiably**

* * *

><p>The water was calm after the storm yesterday, that freshness rain always brought still hanging in the air. She was lying on her back in the water, flicking a fin every so often to keep herself from drifting away. Link was perched on the dead tree sticking up out of the water, fooling around with his ocarina.<p>

"You've seen my home," Ruto announced suddenly, breaking the unrelated streams of notes, "what's yours like?"

"I- Kokiri- wasn't- heights," the words tripped over each other.

The zora slipped out of the water to press herself to his side and find his hand with one of her own. She didn't say anything, but nothing needed to be said. Link squeezed her hand in thanks and took several deep breaths.

When she'd first met him, she'd taken his silence to be one of arrogance and treated him horribly because of it. Once he'd actually opened his mouth, she had realized he didn't keep silence out of arrogance, but rather difficulty. His words had a nasty tendency to trip over each other if he wasn't very careful or so angry he couldn't speak without effort.

"I've never had a home," he managed out, "Kokiri forest was never home."

"I wasn't like the others," he clarified when she nudged him, silently prompting for more, "Kokiri are born, every so often, only one at a time. Mido had been born only a year before when I appeared. I think that's part of why he was so- so jealous. I stole his spotlight as youngest."

"The other part?" Ruto prompted. She had heard about Mido, spent an afternoon dragging the story out of him, how he had bullied the year-younger boy.

Link paused a moment, collecting himself. "I don't think- nobody really- they didn't believe I'm one of them. I didn't have a fairy, and it was too soon for another Kokiri to be born. They tolerated me, but never truly accepted- Saria was the only one who was nice to me."

"That's her ocarina?"

Link nodded, looking down at the simple wooden thing clutched in his hands. "She didn't go up- They played in the trees," he confessed, "I couldn't. I'm- heights are scary."

"Well they can run around their trees all they like," Ruto announced matter-of-factly, "we'll go swimming."

She shoved him in the water and giggled as he came up spluttering, slipping in after him.

* * *

><p>"Link!" she demanded, planting her hands on her hips. He didn't turn around or even show any sign he'd heard her at all, so Ruto sighed and leapt through the waterfall to land next to him.<p>

"Link!" she repeated, "I don't like being ignored!"

He sighed, but still blue eyes didn't lift to meet hers. "Please leave Princess," he said with slow care so his words didn't trip, "surely you have better things to do than talk to common Hylians like me."

She huffed in annoyance and crouched down next to him. "You've been listening to the old codgers again, haven't you?" she asked.

"I'm a Hylian, you're a Zora," Link replied at the same hesitant cadence, "I have no parents, your father is the king. You're a princess, I'm a commoner."

Ruto's fins flicked madly. It was a habit her father reprimanded her about, but she still couldn't stop it. Whenever she became emotional, her fins flicked like ripples under the waterfall. "The codgers are stupid," she said, "Now stop moping and come back inside."

He may as well have been carved from stone from all the yield he showed when she tugged on his arm. Even now, he was stronger than she would probably ever be. Giving up on force, the princess sank down beside him, dangling her feet off the edge, and stared off down the river. The water flowed relentlessly from behind them, masking the entrance to the Domain off until it vanished around a corner.

"Giving you the stone was my decision," she said quietly enough he had to crane to hear her over the waterfall's roar, "I would never have trusted it to anyone who was the least bit unworthy. I proclaimed you worthy! Why isn't that enough?"

Slowly, he turned to face her. "What do you see in me?" the boy asked.

"I see a hero," she answered plainly, "and someday the rest of Hyrule will see it too. Now come back inside."

This time, he accepted the hand she offered and allowed her to lead him back into the Domain.

* * *

><p>"Winter is soon," Link commented one night as they were laying on their backs on the top of the Domain, watching the stars shoot by.<p>

Ruto made a noise of assent, not moving her eyes from the display above them.

"I'm leaving," he tried again.

The zora princess sighed and turned her head towards him to find he had done the same. "I don't want you to go," she confessed, "do you have to?"

He nodded wordlessly.

"Of course," Ruto said sulkily, "the pass will ice up and you won't be able to make it through if you wait any longer." She rolled away from him. "You won't be able to get back to your precious princess and complete your quest."

A gentle hand found her shoulder and tugged, guiding but not forcing her to face him once more. The gentleness with which he treated her was so different from the ferocity with which he had slain the monsters in Jabu-Jabu's belly, and she had always found the contrast fascinating.

"I'll come back," the green-clad boy promised, and for once the words were smooth, "when winter ends, I'll come back to you. I swear."

Her smile rivaled the moon above them. "I'd like that," she told him.

* * *

><p>"This is 'when winter ends'?" Ruto demanded, arms crossed as a shield between them. Ruthlessly, she suppressed the part of her that was gloriously happy to to see him and only wanted to hold him tight and never let go. Instead, she held onto the anger and pain of being abandoned, remaining furious at him.<p>

"I- sleep- sword-" the words stumbled over each other worse than ever, not at all helped by the underwater setting. Ruto scoffed and gestured jerkily upward, indicating they should leave the water.

Link bent to fiddle with his boots and she launched herself stiffly upward. She was aware there was anger etched in her every movement, something that the future ruler of the Zora should not demonstrate, but for once she didn't care.

He broke the surface and she didn't even give him a chance to clamber to the edge before she was laying into him.

"Seven years!" she yelled, "You left for seven years, Link! You promised and you broke it! No word, no reassurance, you could have been dead for all I knew! And then you just show up one day and expect everything to be the same and-"

He cut her off, stammering and stuttering out a tale too fantastic to be true, of swords and sages and shadowy warriors.

Ruto turned her back on him, drawing on every bit of her royal upbringing to appear cold and indifferent. "This way," she ordered, starting forward without looking back to check if he was following.

She couldn't quite blot out the bitter taste that she was worse than Mido in that moment.

* * *

><p>"Link," she called desperately, staggering forward to stop him, "stop." The Hero froze in the doorway, tensing under the hand the zora woman laid on his shoulder.<p>

"What?" he asked, and it was testament to how badly she'd messed things up that his voice did not shake. It only stayed smooth when he was extremely comfortable with both his surroundings and the company or too angry to talk without needing to think over ever word.

"I should have believed you," she got out, "in the Water Temple. I shouldn't have gotten so angry, shouldn't have said what I did, but I was scared for my people, for my life, for you, and I felt betrayed."

"Why?" Link asked, still not turning away from the door.

"I thought you'd abandoned me, forgotten your promise," Ruto told him, "I was terrified when you didn't turn up at first thaw and..."

"No," he interrupted, "Why tell me now?"

"This place," she waved a fin around their surroundings, "it's bleeding dark emotions. You can feel it already. It will take any opportunity to turn us against each other if we're not careful. We can't go into a fight against Ganondorf if we're divided. He'll crush us unless we stand together."

She applied gentle pressure, guiding him to turn around but not forcing, as he had done seven years ago for her, barely months for him. "I'm sorry," she said when blue eyes finally met hers, "maybe after all this is over, when Ganondorf is dead, we can start again? Without any quests or sage duties or a seven-year sleep to come between us? We can have a life, together?"

His hands, roughened by dungeons and uncountable fights against monsters, came up to take hers. He smiled, and it lit the room like the sun.

"I'd like that."

* * *

><p>She was struggling with a particularly heavy bucket of fish, not fully re-accustomed to her child body, when hands closed over hers over the handle, taking some of the weight.<p>

Her head shot up and she met piercing blue eyes restored to a youthful face that didn't quite fit them anymore. He smiled at her, a hopeful grin that threw her. She thought he'd forgotten with everyone else when Zelda turned back time.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, almost demanded, in surprise.

The small, hopeful smile that had taken residence on his face dropped off as surely as if she'd thrown the bucket at him. "I was- I'm sorry- I didn't," Link babbled, "you said- I mean- start over- if you-"

Ruto was staring at him, she couldn't help it. He had never been so bad, not when he was talking to her. Even when she was obscenely rude in Jabu-Jabu's belly, his words had not tripped so badly over each other.

"I should go," he finally managed, staggering backward. He turned around, boots slipping on the slick rock, and Ruto lunged forward to grab his wrist, not wanting him to go again. He met her eyes, curiosity and a tiny spark of hope a glimmer in his eyes before he directed them to examine his feet.

"You don't have to go," said Ruto, "I said we could start again and I meant it. You can have a home here."

"I've never had a home," Link said softly, amazement tingeing his voice.

The zora smiled. "Yes you did," she told him, "you've always had one. Right here, with me."

And he finally realized she was right.


	32. Farore X Link

**Farore X Link chapter, written by G01den W01f 11**

* * *

><p>Deep within the Rain Temple, Link leaned against an old fir tree as he changed the dressing on his side. A bokoblin arrow had pierced it two days ago. Every time the wound started to scab over, he suddenly had to run somewhere else and fight some other enemy, and he had to start healing all over again.<p>

It was not the worst pain he had felt on his quest, but that did not make it any easier to concentrate through. He inhaled a sharp breath as he laid the new dressing firmly upon the hole in his side. The old bandage was soaked through with his blood and lay discarded at his feet.

He had left his tunic somewhere on a higher floor. It was just scraping against his wound and weighing him down. When his swordbelt and quiver began to chafe against his bare skin, he left those too. A sword and a shield were all he needed.

He struggled to his feet and took a drought from the canteen that swung from his hip. He was never in danger of running out of water in the Rain Temple. It was one of the few good things about the place.

Clutching his side, Link walked over to the main door to check the barricade. He had braced it with freshly-chopped timber from the forest that grew within the room. The wood still held, uncracked. It seemed that the monsters of the temple also slept at night.

He knew they would not hold off their assault much longer. From his side of the door, he could hear the scurry of claws over the tile floor. Something heavy scraped against the ground, and everywhere there were the clicks and howls of the harsh Bokoblin language.

He knelt and rested his sword across his knees. Let them come. At worst, they would put an end to his quest.

* * *

><p>"Come, sister. There are other worlds to make. Other evils to vanquish."<p>

Nayru's reprimand shook Farore from her vision. It had been a beautiful one. He had finally discarded his tunic. Many would consider such thoughts inappropriate of a goddess, much less a golden goddess, but she did not care. Being a goddess meant you got to decide what was appropriate. Lately, 'appropriate' meant that young champion of hers.

She had not noticed him on his first quest when the little Hylia had chosen him, or even the next one. Dear Nayru had been occupying all their thoughts with dreams of a new land called Subrosia. From the gleam in her eye, Din had seemed quite enamored of the idea. It was only when she dashed off to plan her part of the world that Farore turned her gaze back to Hyrule.

He had been in a forest temple when she first saw him, both hands resting on the hilt of his blade. It was as much a part of him as he was part of the temple. For a time, nothing moved. As far as Farore could tell, she was looking into a painting or at a sculpture. Then he rose, and as he stormed from the sanctuary, Farore knew that he would do great things.

She had watched him through the ages. Watched him accept his burden as he was reborn into the hero's skin time and time again. It was sad almost, but then she saw the purpose written clear across his face, and she knew that he would not have it any other way.

He wore that same expression now, as he faced the only door out of the room where he was trapped. He had never failed before. As he progressed through the Rain Temple, Farore kept looking for his clever plan, his burst of insight that would allow him to best his foes, but it never came. She kept looking and looking until he gasped, and an arrow pierced his side, and he retreated.

That was not supposed to happen. He was not supposed to get hurt. He was a hero - her hero.

"Farore?" It was Nayru again. She never could stop herself from meddling. The goddess had often scolded her for her infatuation with the mortal, but if a man is reborn over and over again, is he truly mortal? Perhaps he was not as divine as the Three, but he was certainly an equal to many of the lesser gods that populated Hyrule.

"A year or two more, sister," she responded. In truth, she was not likely to need even that much time. Link would die in that very room, to the doom of Hyrule. Such things could not be helped.

Nayru glared down at her, but in the end she left her alone with her hero. Farore sank back into the vision to see him once more sharpening his sword against a rock.

Seeing him prepare for death, she was struck by a burst of something devious. She laughed mischievously as she readied the spell. Nayru would not approve, and Din-

Din would _curse_ her.

Giggling, she descended into the world of Hyrule, which had not seen the Golden Goddesses since its birth.

* * *

><p>Content that his blade was sharp, Link tried to sheath it before remembering that he had abandoned his sheath. He shrugged and lay it down by his side, well within the reach of his arm.<p>

Death would almost be a relief. He had already used up most of his food. Only a handful of salted beef remained, which he tore into as he awaited his fate.

Then the room began to spin. He leapt to his feet, crying out at the hole in his side. The room spun faster, and Link shut his eyes to keep himself steady.

When he reopened them, he was standing in a grand chamber of pure white. The sounds of a harp filled the air, its serene melody running over him like the gift of rain in an arid desert. A large table draped in white silk stood before him, laden with every fruit he knew and some he didn't. There were sweets too: candied walnuts dipped in sugar, lavish frosted cakes each topped with a single red cherry, and flaky brown pastries that leaked an apple filling.

"Eat," sang a voice, "and rest."

Before him appeared a woman whose beauty dwarfed even Zelda's. She seemed to wear a robe of moss and lilies, grown as a single piece from some enchanted forest. Her luscious green hair fell from her head and tangled with the robe, and Link could scarce tell the difference between the two.

As she touched his side with a pale hand, a warmth ran through him that knitted his skin back together and filled his belly with sustenance.

Her touch lingered, and he felt his gaze drawn up to her shining jade-green eyes.

"Who are you?" he breathed.

"Someone who loves you."

She stepped close. Too close. Their bodies pressed together and her lips met his.

She was beautiful and soft. Overwhelmed by her fresh scent, he sagged into her embrace as she kissed him more deeply.

Never had he felt such joy, such peace. He tasted life upon her lips, a life that was free of monsters and barbed arrows. Before he could think, his arm wrapped around her lithe waist, and he began to kiss her back.

But as he drew her in closer, the tingle in the back of his mind that never slept began to wonder. How did she have the power to tear him from the temple? How did she so easily weaken his legs and draw him into her arms? Most importantly, what did she want from him?

With a grimace, he shoved the woman away. As she stumbled backward, the emptiness that he had not realized he had borne his entire life returned.

"Who are you?" he asked again.

"A goddess." The mark on his hand agreed with her, vibrating in ecstasy to be reunited with its mother.

She advanced. Link stepped backward.

"Then you know of my quest. Return me."

"You could live with me forever." The goddess raised a hand. His muscles froze as she crept closer. "No more pain. No more fear. No more want." Her hand brushed through his hair. "You could be at peace."

All his life, no one had offered him anything. He was little more than a tool, marked by the triangle that glowed on his hand. But she-this goddess-could give him peace. He could relax, and never hunger again, and be happy.

But then Zelda's screams as the dark king's minions tore her from the throne room echoed through his mind.

"Aye, I could have peace. And Hyrule would die. You gave me your mark for a reason, Farore. Return me."

Her hand paused on his cheek-such warmth, such delicacy-then slowly withdrew. The goddess cast her eyes downward.

"As you wish."

* * *

><p>"You little fool. You could have doomed them all. It was our best work, and then you interfered. How could you? I warned you. Nayru warned you. Still you persisted in your foolish crush. We are better than that."<p>

Her sister pulsed with a brilliant orange light. She had been berating her so long she should have been hoarse, but the Goddess of Power plowed through her tirade with the same fierce energy with which she had begun it.

When Farore had returned, Nayru greeted her with that knowing gaze that clearly said "I told you so." Before Farore could reply, Din had sprung on her. She would probably still hear Din's shrill voice for an age after the Goddess of Power stopped screaming.

As her sister went on and on, Farore retreated into the sweet memory that she would treasure for an eternity. She had touched him. She had never touched one of her children before; that was not her place. But she had touched him. His body had been so firm and warm beneath the hand she had formed for herself. Had she the time, she would have felt more of it. She would have felt all of it, and licked off the sweat that still glistened upon his chest, and-

But that was not to be. When faced with an eternity of bliss, Link had chosen to go back. And that was for the best.

For if he hadn't, she could never have loved him.


End file.
